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Urge the IOC to Investigate Discrimination Against Coptic Athletes
Coptic Solidarity has sent letters to IOC Headquarters and submitted formal complaints though the IOC's online system, but the IOC has yet to reply or agree to investigate.
There were no Coptic athletes on the Egyptian Olympic Mission to China (2012) and Brazil (2016).
Only 1 Copt participated in the Tokyo (2020) and Paris (2024) Olympic Games for Egypt.
There is not a single Copt on the Egyptian national, youth, or reserve soccer teams.
The Olympic Charter prohibits discrimination of any kind and mandates that all members of the Olympic Movement adhere to its principles (Olympic Charter, Rule 2 and Principle 6). The IOC is the guardian of the Olympic Spirit and bound by the Olympic Charter to ensure that all National Olympic Committee’s (NOCs) adhere to principles of fairness and non-discrimination. It also is the responsibility of the IOC to investigate and take appropriate actions against discrimination within an NOC (Olympic Charter, Rule 27).
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Advocacy & Articles for Coptic Athletes
- August 24, 2016 - Coptic Solidarity (CS) published Coptic Solidarity Files Complaints with the IOC and FIFA Regarding Egypt’s Religious Discrimination Against Copts in Athletics; sent insured letters to the IOC and FIFA
- July 20, 2017 - Mada Masr published Copts and Egypt’s national game: We’ll call you back later By Mai Shams El-Din
- June 15, 2018 - CS published ground-breaking report Discrimination Against Copts in Egyptian Sports Clubs
- June 15, 2018 – The New Statesman published “I was told to change my name to play professionally”: the plight of Egyptian Christians in football by Maryse Godden
- July 9, 2018 – Forbes published What Does Football Have To Do With Religious Freedom? By Ewelina U. Ochab
- August 29, 2019 – FIFA announces appointment of Normalization Committee in Egypt after their visit and the EFA officials resigned
- September 9, 2019 – CS launched online advocacy campaign targeting FIFA officials
- September 18, 2019 – CS sent letters to the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) and to FIFA reiterating information on discrimination and with 4 recommendations
- September 20, 2019 – CS published FIFA’s Selective Stance Against Discrimination Within Member Organizations
- April 13, 2020 - CS published Coptic Solidarity Encouraged by FIFA Action on Discrimination Against Coptic Footballers
- September 20, 2021 – CS published Coptic Solidarity Urges EFA Sponsors to Stop Supporting Discrimination, which announced having sent letters to the corporate sponsors of the EFA and Premier League
- CS launched an online advocacy campaign targeting the EFA
- July 22, 2021 - CS published Egypt Maintains Discriminatory Practices Against Coptic Athletes Amidst Olympic Publicity
- July 28, 2021- CS published 141 Athletes Represent Egypt in the Tokyo Olympics. One of them is a Copt.
- December 12, 2022 – EFE via La Prensa Latina published Copts face discrimination in Egyptian soccer
- August 8, 2024 – CS submitted a new complaint to the IOC’s Integrity and Compliance Hotline
- August 9, 2024 - Sent a new letter by courier to the IOC president and general director
- August 12, 2024 - CS published Coptic Solidarity Laments IOC Indifference to Egypt’s Systematic Religious-based Discrimination Against Athletes
Send a Message to the IOC
Despite comprising nearly 15% of the population, Copts are absent from Egypt’s Olympic teams and other international competitions. This exclusion violates the Olympic Charter and affronts the core value of equality for which the IOC stands. In the past 4 Olympic Games, only one Copt was included in Egypt’s delegations to Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024. Please send a message and/or Tweet to the IOC today, urging an immediate investigation into the systematic discrimination within Egypt’s national sports framework and demand corrective action!
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