Egyptian cyclist disqualified from Paris Games after collision uproar

CAIRO – An Egyptian cyclist was disqualified from the Paris Olympics on July 14 by her national Olympic committee after her selection caused a social media backlash stemming from a video that appeared to show her knocking a competitor off her bicycle in April.

The most populous Arab country is building its credentials for a possible bid for the 2036 Games, which if successful would bring the Olympics to Africa for the first time. It is spending billions on facilities and sending its biggest delegation to Paris.

During the national championship in April, a video showed Shahd Saied colliding with one of her challengers, Ganna Eliwa, pushing her to the ground before racing ahead. Eliwa accused Saied of a deliberate attack and said she suffered concussion, a broken collarbone, bruises and temporary loss of memory. Saied insisted the incident was an accident but was handed a one-year ban from local competition.

The Egyptian Cycling Federation raised eyebrows on July 9 when it named her for the Paris Games, saying she had qualified before the incident.

Many Egyptians expressed anger and embarrassment, accusing the federation of disregarding sportsmanship.

After the country’s sports ministry asked for a review of the decision, the Olympic committee ruled on July 14 that the local ban made her ineligible for international competitions.

Saied, however, already told a local TV host she was retiring.

“I’m not going to bike any more. If they don’t want me to represent Egypt, fine, I won’t go to the Olympiad,” she said on July 13.

Meanwhile, mountain biker Sammie Maxwell was named in New Zealand’s Olympic team on July 15 after a national sports tribunal found selectors had used incorrect medical evidence about her eating disorder in an initial decision to exclude her.

Maxwell, who has suffered from an eating disorder since she was 15, earned an Olympic quota place but was denied a spot by Cycling New Zealand’s (CNZ) nominations panel. The panel decided the 22-year-old had not “discharged the burden of demonstrating that she did not have any mental or physical impairment” that would prevent her from competing at the Games to the highest standard.

Maxwell appealed her exclusion in June to the Sports Tribunal of New Zealand, which found CNZ had used a doctor’s report containing out-of-date information. The tribunal also found CNZ’s high performance director Ryan Hollows had influenced the decision by filing a “skewed” memorandum to the panel which expressed concern about Maxwell’s health.

The tribunal said it was concerned CNZ was taking a discriminatory attitude towards athletes with eating disorders. REUTERS