Egypt wrestling official suspended after athlete disappears at Rome airport

Egyptian Wrestling Federation secretary general Ibrahim Adel has defended his decision not to retain the passports of members of the national delegation after wrestler Mohamed Mostafa El Shamy went missing at Rome airport during the team’s return from the Mediterranean Games in Italy.

Adel, who headed Egypt’s wrestling delegation, said the federation was not permitted to hold athletes’ travel documents because of laws and international agreements protecting freedom of movement and addressing human trafficking.

“We do not keep the players’ passports inside airports,” Adel told FilGoal.com.

The Egyptian delegation had arrived at Rome airport to begin its journey back to Cairo. Adel said that, after passing through the airport’s entry gates, El Shamy walked towards a different gate instead of the one serving the flight carrying the Egyptian team.

The wrestler was subsequently reported missing from the delegation.

“I checked on the delegation, which consisted of 12 players apart from Mohamed Mostafa El Shamy, as well as two foreign coaches,” Adel said.

Mohamed Talba, one of the national team’s coaches, returned to look for El Shamy before the aircraft’s gate closed. The athlete was then informed that a ticket had been booked for him on the following flight so he could join the delegation in Egypt the next day.

Adel rejected suggestions that the delegation’s decision not to collect the wrestlers’ passports had contributed to the incident. He said he had acted in accordance with legal requirements guaranteeing individuals the right to move freely.

He referred specifically to Article 20 of the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings, which criminalises conduct involving travel or identity documents. The article includes a provision stating that a travel or identity document must not be seized or concealed.

Adel also cited Article 45 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, which gives every European Union citizen the right to move and reside freely within the territory of member states.

“I informed Major General Mohamed Mahmoud, the vice-president of the Egyptian Wrestling Federation and a member of the board of the Egyptian Olympic Committee, about what had happened, and he informed the Olympic Committee,” Adel said.

He added that he was surprised, after returning to Egypt, to hear claims that he had played a role in helping the wrestler flee abroad.

The Egyptian Olympic Committee has since suspended Adel and referred him to its ethics committee in connection with the incident involving the wrestler.

El Shamy later posted a message after failing to travel back with the delegation.

“I apologise to my father and my family, and to everyone who stood by me, helped me and supported me throughout my career,” he wrote.