Al-Mashat stresses the importance of the event, which blends sports and cultural tourism
By Akram Medhat
This morning, Dr. Rania Al-Mashat, Minister of Tourism, Dr. Khaled El-Enany, Minister of Antiquities, and Dr. Ashraf Sobhy, Minister of Youth and Sports, took part in the start of the Pyramids Marathon to boost sports tourism in Egypt, with 4,000 runners, including 500 foreigners who came to Egypt especially from 75 countries around the world. Dr. Mostafa Waziri, Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, and MP Sahar Talaat Moustafa also took part.
The marathon at the Pyramids was organized by a company specializing in organizing sports events, to boost sports tourism in Egypt, and included races of 42, 21 and 10 km.
For her part, Dr. Rania Al-Mashat praised the organization of this sports event to promote Egyptian tourism, which blends cultural and sports tourism, calling for more events and new ideas in the coming period that draw attention to tourist sites in Egypt.
She explained that sports tourism has become an important type that attracts diverse and new segments of tourists and young people around the world, and pointed to her participation in the opening of the first sports hotel in the Middle East, in Hurghada, at the end of last year.
Al-Mashat added that this year will also see an important sports event hosted by Egypt, the Africa Cup of Nations next June, stressing that Egypt's organization of such events helps create an entertainment agenda full of cultural, sports and artistic events that attract tourists all year round.
The ministers handed out prizes to the winners of the race. First place went to an Olympic champion from Australia, who expressed his happiness with this experience and his participation in a sports race in the embrace of history at the Pyramids, noting that he felt the greatness of ancient Egyptian civilization. The winners and runners also made sure to take souvenir photos with the ministers.
