By Ibrahim El Deeb and Hassan El-Khawaga
In preparation for the upcoming African Cup of Nations 2019, Egyptian Prime Minister Dr. Mostafa Madbouli inspected the sports facilities located in the Cairo Stadium, where he was accompanied by Dr. Ashraf Soubhi, Minister of Youth and Sports, Dr. Ali Darwish, president of the Cairo Stadium Entity, Eng. Mohsen Salah, chairman of El-Mokawlon El- Arab Group.
The tour came in order to assure that all sports facilities and accessories are fully optional and ready for the African Tournament, which set to take place next summer after Egypt received the honor to organize the 32nd edition of the Cup in which 24 teams will face off for the coveted title. The tournament is set to take June 15 to July 13, 2019.
During his tour of the Cairo International Stadium, Dr. Madbouli inspected the main football field, which can accommodate 72,400 fans. It is one of the main stadiums in Egypt and is scheduled to host the opening ceremony of the 2019 African Nations Cup.
Madbouli oversaw the current operation to replace the field’s flooring into a more evolved and well equipped version similar to international standards. The PM also inspected the track around the field and evolved the stadium steps, in addition to inspecting the VIP area which will be well equipped to welcome several high ranking African officials from all over the continent. Lastly Dr. Madbouli inspected the investment arena which is set to include leisure areas like restaurants and cafeterias.
The Prime Minister stressed the importance of the "time" element in organizing the African tournament aiming to quickly complete the football field and its facilities according to the latest international standards. Dr. Mustafa Madbouli stressed that Egypt is the leader of Africa in sports, which makes us exert a lot of effort to emerge in a way that is appropriate to the history and civilization of Egypt, stressing the investment in these facilities, which will have a major role in supporting the national economy.
Dr. Madbouli stressed that he is coordinating with all concerned ministries in order to speed up the completion of the facilities for the African Nations Championship. He pointed out that there will be periodic meetings to confirm what will be accomplished and study the status of all the stadiums that will host the tournament.
On the field of the Cairo Stadium, there were extensive discussions between Dr. Mustafa Madbouli, the Minister of Youth and Sports and the President of the Arab Contractors Company, during which many proposals and ideas were put forward. The Prime Minister stressed the importance of focusing on all the elements of highlighting the tournament in an appropriate manner, including the restoration of the stadium's glamour and its attractiveness to fans of Egypt and the guests of the tournament from different countries of the African continent, focusing on the use of the latest technology in photography and image transfer as an important element in the transfer of the event In a manner that keeps pace with the latest systems in this field, and is attractive to viewers, with the search for unconventional ways to develop the stadium, including updating the screens and the development of screens for advertisements.
Dr. Mustafa Madbouli also toured the Cairo International Stadium, inspecting the construction of the world-class cycling track, which is currently being constructed according to the latest international sports standards and will be the first and largest of its kind in the Middle East in 2020. The Prime Minister listened to an explanation on all components of the project and the various stages of its implementation. It includes the implementation of the wooden track and the service area below. The Prime Minister's tour featured him inspecting the swimming pool complex.
The tour follows Madbouli’s return from Germany after attending the opening ceremony of the 26th edition of the World Handball Championships in Berlin and promoting Egypt’s agenda of hosting the 27th edition of the tournament in 2021. A number of meetings were held with the German Deputy Chancellor and Finance Minister, the Deputy Speaker of the Local Parliament, the Minister of Development and Economic Cooperation of Brandenburg State, representatives of a number of German companies involved in the recycling of garbage and the head of the world production sector of Mercedes Benz.
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