May 29, 2017, Cairo – The American University in Cairo (AUC) held its annual Athletics Awards ceremony hosted by AUC sports center in acknowledgement of AUC athletes for their sporting achievements throughout the academic year. The event, held at AUC New Cairo, was attended by the Egyptian Minister of Youth and Sports, Khaled Abdel Aziz; the President of the Egyptian Olympics Committee, Hesham Hatab; The Egyptian Olympic Committee Board Member and Alumnus, Sherif El Erian and AUC President, Francis J. Ricciardone. At the awards ceremony, 116 students have been recognized, including seven students and alumni who participated in the 2016 Rio Olympics, as well as student Nouran Gohar, the 2016 world junior squash champion.
“We are proud of the accomplishments of AUC athlete students and alumni, I am also happy to see AUC participating in the athletic activities and competitions that are organized by the ministry for the universities. We look forward to more achievements from AUC students,” said Abdel Aziz.
In his speech, Ricciardone said, “Here at AUC, we don’t just teach in the classroom, we refer to the AUC experience, and in that experience we aim to teach, develop and nurture leadership. Leadership is not something you just develop in a curriculum, we do it in extracurricular activities. The athletes we are celebrating today are the leaders of this great country being developed and nurtured before our eyes.”
Louise Bertini, director of the Athletics office at AUC said, “We are happy to have the support of the ministry of youth and the Olympian committee, not only for their attendance but for their continuous support and cooperation to our students and to AUC.”
Bertini expressed how proud AUC is with the accomplishments of its athletes, “AUC athletes have won 26 medals so far in the National Universities Tournament, 8 medals in the American College of Greece International Sports Festival last March and 38 medals, 20 of which were gold, in The American University of Beirut (AUB) President’s Club International Sports Tournament last semester.” In addition, the women’s rugby team was also recognized at the awards ceremony, for winning, for the first time, the amateur Middle East Division in the Dubai Rugby Sevens last December.For the first time at the annual awards ceremony, AUC has honored the women and men teams with the highest GPAwho were able to balance the academics and athletics. “For women’s, it is a tie, with a 3.8 GPA for the women’s tennis and Frisbee teams. The men’s squash team has achieved the highest GPA of 3.45 among the men’s teams. Also among those recognized are seven exceptional student athletes, who have a current cumulative 4.0 GPA,” said Bertini.
Addressing the student athletes, Bertini said “your achievement is a testament to your dedication, your families and what you bring to this community. You are AUC.”