The Tourism Ministry has paid LE200,000 to replace the fake sportswear of the Egyptian Olympian team with original brands.
On Wednesday, Yomna Khallaf, an Egyptian synchronized swimmer in the London 2012 Olympic Games, told Cairo Stadium Radio that the Egyptian Olympic Committee (EOC) provided its athletes with fake Nike training kits.
“They gave us a bag that has a Nike logo on the front, but the zipper has the logo of Adidas,” Khallaf said.
“We had to buy LE17,000 worth of real things from Nike for the team to look good,” she continued.
Ahmed al-Fouly, head of the Egyptian delegation in London, said that Nike’s Egyptian offices asked its counterpart in London to deliver the needed training kits.
Fouly holds Mahmoud Ahmed Ali, the head of the EOC, responsible for the purchase of the counterfeit gear, and demanded that he be held accountable for damaging Egypt’s international reputation.
The national sports council had budgeted for full-price, authentic Nike gear, Fouly claimed, alleging that Ali had knowingly bought fake training kits instead.
Fouly asked that the matter be brought before the public prosecutor to investigate. He offered to testify in the case.
National Sports Council head Emad al-Benany, currently in London, said that those responsible for purchasing the fake equipment will be held accountable.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
