The Egyptian Delegation Replaced The Chinese Made Fake Team Uniform, And The Authorities Were Accused Of Corruption

The Egyptian Olympic Committee has been criticized for buying cheap Chinese "fake Nike" team uniforms for its athletes participating in the London Olympics. According to Egyptian media reports on the 27th, the Egyptian authorities have decided to buy new authentic products for the Olympic delegation clothing 。 In the eyes of the Egyptian people, the root cause of the scandal is not "to save money", but "corruption".

It is reported that Heraf of the Egyptian synchronized swimming team was the first to break the news. Last week, she broke the news on her personal Twitter that the clothes provided by the Egyptian Olympic Committee to athletes were fake Nike. "There is a big Nike logo on the front of our sports backpack, but the zipper says Adidas". Heraf said that after she reported this problem to the Egyptian Olympic Committee, the official response was "either wear (these sportswear) or nothing". She said that she and her teammates "can't accept wearing fake products to participate in the London Olympics, so they will pay $300 out of their own pocket to buy authentic products".

The Egyptian Olympic Committee did not attach importance to this scandal at the beginning. British media quoted an interview with Egyptian Olympic Committee President Ahmed Ali on the 26th, saying that it was a Chinese dealer who provided "fake Nike". Ali said that it would cost $300-500 to provide a complete set of authentic sports equipment for an athlete. Due to the poor economic situation in Egypt, it is difficult for the Egyptian Olympic Committee to raise a huge amount of money to buy authentic clothing for 112 athletes and some auxiliary personnel in the country. These "fake Nike" are good enough even if they are fakes. Moreover, all Nike products sold in Egypt are made in China. A spokesman for the Egyptian Olympic delegation said that in June this year, the Egyptian Olympic delegation "accepted an offer from a Chinese sports product manufacturer", and they were willing to offer Nike products at a 50% discount. Only later did they find that they were "cheated".

The Egyptian delegation wearing the "fake Nike" to compete in the Olympic Games not only caused dissatisfaction among domestic athletes, but also triggered protests from Nike. American media reported on the 27th that Nike had sent a letter of protest to the Egyptian Olympic Committee, saying that it "paid close attention to this matter" and asked the Egyptian Olympic Committee to take corrective measures. Ahmed Ali said that if Nike believed that its own rights and interests had been violated, "it should go to the Chinese dealers instead of finding trouble with the Egyptian Olympic Committee". However, the US reported on the 27th that the Egyptian delegation will purchase authentic Nike sportswear from Nike UK as a remedy after consulting with Nike. The American media pointed their criticism at "Made in China", saying that "counterfeit culture is not uncommon in Chinese factories".

Reporters saw on Egypt's major portals that this embarrassing news has caused widespread controversy, and most people believe that this matter involves corruption. The foreign media said that instead of blaming the fake foreign dealers, it was better to blame the sports officials who did not provide enough funds for the athletes and then shifted their responsibilities. Mahmoud, an Egyptian netizen, believed that "Egypt can't afford to buy authentic competition clothes for the delegation even if it is difficult." Ahmed, an Egyptian netizen, commented that "although we have a new president and a new prime minister after the revolution, the corruption of the former regime still exists in all corners of the country".