The Public Prosecution ordered the summoning of the president of the Egyptian Swimming Federation and its specialists, as well as specialists from the Al-Zohour Sports Club, in the case of the death of a player during the Republic Swimming Championship.
On the evening of the second of December, the Public Prosecution received a report of the death of the twelve-year-old player, Youssef Mohamed Ahmed Abdel Malik, while participating in the Republic Swimming Championship, held in the swimming pool complex at Cairo International Stadium.
The Public Prosecution immediately began investigations, and began by moving to the scene of the incident and inspecting it, where it was found that there were no monitoring machines useful in the course of the investigation, so it moved to the headquarters of the Egyptian Swimming Federation, and seized the medical file of the deceased, as well as a video clip containing all the details of the incident. It also seized the recording devices of the surveillance machines in order to empty them, and seized all the documents regulating the procedures for holding the tournament in all its stages, and what is related to the medical supervision of it.
As well as moving to Dar Al Fouad Hospital and holding a debate on the victim’s body, and assigning the Forensic Medicine Department to perform an autopsy to determine the cause of death, and whether or not he suffers from any diseases that prevent him from participating in such competitions, as well as a statement of whether all the correct and necessary medical procedures were followed in dealing with his condition after his recovery from the pool until his death in accordance with recognized medical and professional principles.
The Public Prosecution heard the testimony of the victim’s father, the father of one of the female competitors, and the victim’s coach, who testified that negligence and negligence on the part of the tournament organizers of the Egyptian Swimming Federation, the lifeguards, and the referees – for not observing the regulations and laws that must be followed – was the cause of the victim’s death.
The Public Prosecution also heard the statements of more than twenty witnesses, including the General Director of Support and Follow-up of Sports Bodies, a member of the Medical Committee for the Safety and Health of Players at the Ministry of Youth and Sports, the Executive Director of the Egyptian Swimming Federation, the Director of the Championship, the participating referees, the Executive Director of the Egyptian Diving and Rescue Federation, and the doctors who dealt with the victim’s condition at the time of the incident. They all confirmed the occurrence of negligence and negligence on the part of the public referee and the rescuers, which resulted in the death of the victim.
It was revealed from transcribing the content of the video clips seized by the Public Prosecution – which were not fragmentary – that after the victim reached the end point of the race, he collapsed to the bottom of the pool, without being noticed by the rescue officials or the judges, until it was discovered that he had drowned during the activities of the next race, after three minutes and thirty-four seconds had passed.
The investigations also established the presence of a medical team, including an intensive care doctor, a swimming federation doctor, and an ambulance at the scene of the incident.
The Public Prosecution also heard the testimony of members of the committee formed by the decision of the Minister of Youth and Sports regarding the incident under investigation, who testified that the Egyptian Swimming Federation and Al-Zohour Sports Club did not adhere to the provisions of the Sports Law, with regard to the controls for maintaining the health and safety of players participating in the tournament, and what was stipulated in the medical code for players issued by the Minister of Youth and Sports’ decision No. 1642 of 2024, regarding the medical reports that must be obtained before participating in tournaments, which was supported by what was proven to the Public Prosecution from examining the medical file of the victim player, as He did not undergo the medical procedures required by the aforementioned law to enable him to participate in the tournament.
The Public Prosecution also interrogated the accused, and ordered the detention of both the general arbiter and three of the rescue crew pending investigations, to prove their direct responsibility for the death of the victim as a result of their negligence.
