The British University in Egypt on Wednesday hosted the torch relay ceremony for the 12th All-Africa University Games, “Cairo 2026”, on its campus in El Shorouk City, with Olympic champion and University graduate Feryal Abdelaziz carrying the flame in a celebration of Egyptian university sport. Held under the slogan “One Flame, One Continent,” the Games come to Egypt for the first time, taking place from 8 to 16 September 2026.
The University’s ceremony forms one stop on a national journey. The “Cairo 2026” torch set off from the New Administrative Capital and is travelling across Egypt’s major universities, among them The American University in Cairo and Cairo University, ahead of the Games next month. Its arrival at The British University in Egypt placed the University among the leading higher education institutions hosting the torch on its way to the Games.
The All-Africa University Games are the continent’s largest multi-sport university competition, organised every two years by the Federation of Africa University Sports. This year’s edition brings together around 2,000 student-athletes from 59 universities across 16 African countries, competing in 18 sports, and will for the first time include para-athletes among the competitors.
The ceremony was led by President and Vice-Chancellor Professor Mohamed Loutfi MBE, and attended by Professor Ashraf Sobhy, President of the Federation of Africa University Sports and Vice-Chair of the Games’ Supreme Committee; Dr Ahmed Kamel Mahdy, Chair of the Organising Committee and Secretary-General of the Egyptian Universities Sports Federation; and leaders of university sports federations, University students, and athletes. The relay forms part of Egypt’s national preparations to host the Games, delivered in line with directives from Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi that the event reflect Egypt’s standing and its leading role in university sport.
The flame was carried at the University by one of its own graduates. Feryal Abdelaziz made history for Egypt when she won gold in karate at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, an achievement she reached while completing her degree at the University’s Faculty of Pharmacy. It reflects a principle central to the University: that academic excellence and sporting distinction can be pursued together, and that each strengthens the other.
In his address, President Loutfi said the relay reflects the University’s active role in developing university sport, at a moment when its own teams are preparing to compete in the Games. He noted that the University is home to the headquarters of the Federation of Africa University Sports, a mark of confidence in its capacity to connect universities across the continent. Sport, he said, sits alongside teaching and research as one of the pillars through which the University builds character, in step with the priorities of the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research and the Egyptian University Sports Federation, led by Minister Dr Abdel Aziz Konsowa. He described Feryal Abdelaziz as a source of pride and inspiration, a graduate who reached the highest level in sport without setting her studies aside.
Professor Ashraf Sobhy praised the University’s contribution to university sport across the continent, describing its hosting of the Federation’s headquarters as a valuable addition to the African system. He commended a model that brings together strong academic provision, athletic support, and the development of talent, and praised the University’s role in the Elite Coaching programme, which trains a new generation of coaches to identify and develop talent through modern methods.The ceremony featured a number of celebratory segments, including a display by University students carrying the flag of the African continent, and drew a strong turnout from the University’s own students competing in the Games, alongside students from across Africa who study at the University.
The British University in Egypt counts among its students and graduates a number of champions across a range of sports, holders of local and international titles, reflecting an approach that pairs academic excellence with the discovery and support of sporting talent. The relay adds to a growing role for the University as an active partner in developing university sport at the national, Arab, and African levels, and as a home where students can pursue academic and sporting ambition side by side.
About The British University in Egypt
Following a 1998 Memorandum of Cooperation between the governments of Egypt and the United Kingdom, The British University in Egypt was founded in 2004, and is Egypt’s premier private British university. Recognised for its educational excellence, robust academic governance, and exceptional graduate employment, it is one of the few Egyptian Higher Education institutions to offer ‘dual degrees’, where students undertake undergraduate and postgraduate awards validated by Egypt’s Supreme Council of Universities and one of our UK collaborative partners, Manchester Metropolitan University, London South Bank University, and Queen Margaret University.
The University is the first QAA-accredited university in Egypt and North Africa, demonstrating achievement of the 10 European Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance, and is a signatory of the Magna Charta Universitatum (Great Charter of Universities), upholding the principles of academic freedom, institutional autonomy, community service, preservation of humanity and sustainability, and the promotion of prosperity and enlightenment across the globe.
With 12 faculties, expanding to 13 in September 2026 with the launch of the Faculty of Tourism and Hotel Management, and a student body exceeding 13,000, The British University in Egypt is known for its ‘learning by doing’ approach, commitment to regional and global sustainable development goals, and unparalleled student life experience.
