Egyptian wrestlers keep vanishing abroad amid a sport in crisis

Cairo, Egypt – Four days after he disappeared from the Egyptian team camp at the 2026 Under-20 World Wrestling Championships in Slovakia last month, 19-year-old wrestler Ziad Hajjaj Abu Gabal posted a message on Facebook.“I don’t want my mother and father to be upset with me,” he wrote on August 29. “I did this so I could see myself as a man. I won’t go back to Egypt, my beloved country, until I bring it honour.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Fury claims Joshua fight is off, calls for another Usyk rematchlist 2 of 4Arsenal vs Chelsea: Gunners stamp authority, but Blues are contenders toolist 3 of 4Adidas faces boycott calls over campaign featuring former Israeli soldierlist 4 of 4F1 leader Kimi Antonelli wins Italian GP after epic charge from the backend of list“Everything I earn in a month is 700 Egyptian pounds [$13.7], and I’m an international [athlete] … After all this pressure, there was no way I could go back.”On August 27, another Egyptian wrestler, Mohamed al-Shami, 23, had escaped while his team transited through Rome on their way home from the Mediterranean Games in Taranto, Italy.In his Facebook post on August 29, Al-Shami said he had come to feel like a fi...