The Egyptian Ministry of Youth and Sports has announced on 17 October a campaign to address unauthorised and illegal attempts by foreign entities to naturalise Egyptian athletes, which is the process of granting foreign citizenship to Egyptian athletes. The initiative comes in response to growing concerns over potential violations of international sports regulations and ethical standards governing athlete transfers. In a statement released by the Ministry of Youth and Sports, there is concern regarding reported efforts to recruit Egyptian athletes through what it characterised as irregular or illegal channels. According to Minister of Youth and Sports Ashraf Sobhi, naturalisation may contravene Olympic values and international sporting regulations, and could also constitute exploitation of athletes in vulnerable situations. The ministry confirmed that it is working in coordination with the Egyptian Olympic Committee, the Egyptian Wrestling Federation, the African Wrestling Confederation, and the International Wrestling Federation to stop foreign attempts of stealiling its top athletes. Formal communications have been sent to relevant bodies requesting that any unauthorised naturalisation processes involving Egyptian athletes be halted immediately. The issue has reportedly been added to the agenda of the International Wrestling Federation for further review….
