Prior reporting by Sean Griffin contributed to this story.
The Court of Nasr City in Egypt has sentenced four people to three years in prison ‘with hard labor’ over the drowning of 12-year-old swimmer Youssef Mohamed Ahmed Abdel Malik during a national swimming championship in December of last year. 14 others accused the case, including the head of the swimming federation and several board members, were acquitted.
Abdel Malik was swimming his heat of the 50 backstroke when he lost consciousness and sunk to the bottom of the pool.
Investigations confirmed that Abdel Malik had no underlying health issues and that he lost consciousness at the bottom of the pool. The four convicted of negligence leading to his death included the meet director and three lifeguards.
All four have paid bail of 10,000 Egyptian Pounds ($210 US Dollars) while awaiting appeal on April 28. The family has also sued meet organizers for 250,000 Egyptian Pounds ($5,264 US), which is roughly three times the median annual household income in Egypt.
According to Ahram Online, Mohamed lay at the bottom of the pool for three minutes and 34 seconds, with the next race already starting, before being noticed by another athlete.
He was transported to the hospital in cardiac arrest and not breathing. Medical staff administered three electric shocks, intubated him, placed him on mechanical ventilation, and gave emergency medications. After being moved to the ICU, he suffered an additional cardiac arrest, and despite multiple rounds of CPR, doctors were unable to revive him.
Parents at the event reported that lifeguards and lane timekeepers were not at their posts when Mohamed lost consciousness, and that no defibrillator was on site.
The Ministry of Youth and Sports immediately launched an investigation, and have since heard testimony from the victim’s father, another swimmer’s father, and Mohamed’s coach, as well as statements from more than twenty other witnesses. The findings indicate negligence by meet organizers, lifeguards, and referees contributed to the death.
Prosecutors also report that both the Egyptian Swimming Federation and Al-Zohour Sporting Club failed to comply with the Sports Law, including safety measures for participating athletes and the Medical Code for Athletes established under Ministerial Decree No. 1642 of 2024, which mandates pre-competition medical evaluations.
JUST 3 years??? That’s it??
👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾
“Egyptian Pounds ($5,264 US), which is roughly three times the median annual household income in Egypt.” Sad its not more than this, just a bad situation all around