Algerian athletes set off for Olympic Games

15/07/2008

The first group of Algerian athletes is on its way to the 2008 Olympic Games. They will spend time in Seoul, Korea conducting final preparations before heading to Beijing.

By Nazim Fethi for Magharebia in Algiers – 15/07/08

[Getty Images] Algeria's Imad Touil won gold at the junior world championships last week. Prime Minister Ahmed Ouyahia said he hoped Algeria's other athletes would perform similarly as they head to the Beijing Olympics.

The first group of Algerian Olympic athletes left the country on Monday (July 14th), heading for South Korea, where the Algerians will carry out final preparations before the competition begins in Beijing in August. With 64 athletes, the 2008 Algerian Olympic delegation is the largest team the country has sent since gaining independence.

For the first time ever, Algeria's women's volleyball team has qualified for the Games and they are the first group to head out of Algeria. They will be followed closely by the rowing, badminton, table tennis, swimming and boxing teams. The athletics team will be the last to depart for Beijing, and is the only group that has not finalised its roster.

Several Algerian track athletes are still competing in international meets in an attempt to qualify for the Beijing games. This is the case for former Olympic champion Nouria Benida Merrah, who took the gold medal in the 1500m race at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Having been absent from the sporting scene for a number of years, she is trying for one last comeback at the Beijing games.

Ogba Gougam, President of the Women's Volleyball Federation, said the national team will face a tough challenge.

"Given the quality of our opponents, this is a very difficult group," he said. "We were hoping to have a bit more luck in the draw, [but] the fact that we've qualified for the Olympics is already a result in itself," Gougam concluded.

Speaking at an official ceremony on Sunday evening, Prime Minister Ahmed Ouyahia and Chairman of the People's National Assembly Abdelaziz Ziari were keen to encourage Algeria's Olympic athletes before their departure for Asia.

"You have performed well by qualifying," said Ouyahia. "The hearts of the Algerian nation will be beating for you during the Olympic Games."

The prime minister also praised the achievements of Imad Touil in the junior world championships, saying he hoped the young athlete who won the gold medal in the 1500m race would be a model for other Algerian athletes to follow.

Not all Algerians shared the prime minister's enthusiasm.

"The medal chances for Algerians are practically nil this time," said Chafik Boukabes, a veteran sports journalist who has covered five Olympic Games. "This is due to the lack of preparation and internal problems experienced by some federations which have had an impact on the quality of athletes' preparation for this important event."

Younes Brakni, an unemployed man, agreed.

"All the clubs' money goes into football; the other events are ignored. How are champions going to emerge when they don’t have the minimum resources to train regularly," he asked.

Former athletics trainer and sports journalist Abdennour Belkhir had a more optimistic view.

"The Algerian athletes, particularly the medium-distance runners, have a habit of surpassing themselves in events of this kind. So we shouldn’t rule out a pleasant surprise."

Nabil Slimani, a student, expressed his hope to follow the Games.

"The Olympic Games are a unique event which we only see once every four years. I just hope that our national television channels will show the competitions in full, otherwise I’ll just have to do what I can to see as many events as possible. No matter what the Algerian athletes do, I don’t want to miss a minute of these games."

The Olympic Games run from August 8th-24th this year.