Female handball players in Egypt remain in a heated dispute with the Egypt Handball Federation (EHF), demanding the formation of a senior national team. Mona Amin, a board member and former player, has been championing the athletes' cause. She revealed that the EHF has been reluctant to move forward, citing outdated and questionable reasons such as the players' lack of preparation or the possibility of them getting married and gaining weight.
In response to these allegations, EHF President Hisham Nasr denied making those specific comments. However, he shifted the blame onto the players, arguing that their own lack of dedication to their physical and mental well-being is why a senior team hasn't been formed. Mona Amin countered this by noting that marriage is a part of life that hasn't hindered women's senior teams in other sports like basketball or volleyball. She also highlighted a clear gender gap in how men's and women's teams are treated, particularly regarding pay for coaches and training conditions. Adding to the discussion, former junior captain Lama Elshawarby told BBC Sport Africa that while players train out of passion, true motivation comes from having a tangible goal. She argued that forming a national team would provide that spark and urged the EHF to honor a promise made to the players years ago.
The former junior national team captain Lama Elshawarby in a recent interview with BBC Sport Africa agreed with what the president of EHF had commented about the lack of motivation. She said the girls do train regularly because of the love and passion they have towards the game as motivation could be brought only by forming a national team because then the girls would really be interested and motivated towards the game since then they would have a realistic goal to play for. Elshawarby has been insisting on the EHF to fulfill the promise that the federation had made to the team years ago.
The EHF's refusal to establish a senior women's team has pushed some athletes to seek legal nationality changes just to compete internationally. A notable example occurred last year when Rehab Gomaa, who began her career representing Egypt, switched her nationality to French after moving to France to pursue the sport professionally.