Non-profit organization Coptic Solidarity has filed formal complaints with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and FIFA alleging that Coptic Christian athletes in Egypt face “systematic religious discrimination.” Coptic Solidarity is “a non-profit organization supporting those in Egypt working for upholding values of freedom and equality, and the protection of the fundamental rights of all Egyptian citizens.” According to a press release from the organization, numerous Coptic athletes have submitted complaints regarding their “exclusion” from Egyptian sports, including football, which is Egypt’s most popular and most widely-followed sport. “Despite successfully passing all selection stages, these athletes have been excluded from national and international competition for no reason other than their religious background,” the press release reads. The organization goes on to say that Egypt’s Olympic Mission to the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and the 2012 Olympics in London did not include any Copts, while Copts have also been excluded from holding coach and trainer positions in any clubs in the country’s premier league. As a result of these circumstances, which Coptic Solidarity maintains cannot be a statistical anomaly and is instead the result of “deep-rooted discrimination” in Egyptian…
