Egyptian Olympic wrestler Mohamed ‘Kisho’ Ibrahim El-Sayed, who was arrested in Paris on allegations of sexual assault, has been released from police custody, with all charges against him dropped, French prosecutors confirmed on Saturday.
The 26-year-old Greco-Roman wrestler, a bronze medalist from the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, was taken into custody early Friday after an alleged incident where he was accused of groping a woman from behind outside a Paris café. The incident reportedly took place near the Seine River on Quai d’Austerlitz in the 13th arrondissement.
However, in a statement released Saturday, the Paris prosecutor’s office announced that the custody order for Kisho had been lifted, and all proceedings against him were terminated. The statement clarified that the offense was deemed “insufficiently serious” to warrant further legal action.
Kisho’s release came after French authorities reviewed CCTV footage from the scene of the alleged incident, which played a crucial role in the decision to drop the charges.
“The investigations were dropped as video footage from the cameras surrounding the incident did not show any assault by the player towards the woman,” said prosecutors.
The statement clarified that the offense was deemed “insufficiently serious” to warrant further legal action.
The Egyptian Olympic Committee (EOC) also issued a statement on Saturday, confirming that their internal investigation into the sexual harassment allegations has been shelved following the wrestler’s release. The EOC had previously suspended Kisho pending the outcome of investigations, both by French authorities and the committee itself.
Kisho, who wrestles in the 67-kilogram weight category, participated in one match at the Paris 2024 Olympics, where he was defeated 9-0 by Azerbaijan’s Hasrat Jafarov. Despite his recent setback, Kisho remains one of Egypt’s most accomplished wrestlers, having won five African championships and two under-23 world championships.
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