If you have participated in HaBaWaBa International Festival at least once, you know them. And if you haven’t, you’ve missed a lot. They are always joyful out of water, but also determined and talented when the game is on: they are the players of Gezira, the Egyptian club that has been taking part in the Lignano Sabbiadoro’s event for years. A smiling and organized army that does not go unnoticed at the Bella Italia & EFA Village. In 2017 the club from Cairo took a sabbatical, but in 2018 they will return carrying their usual joy to the HaBaWaBa International Festival: therefore African waterpolo will be represented in Lignano Sabbiadoro once again.
Gezira U11 team during a training in Cairo
“It’s a dream to come back to HaBaWaBa International Festival – Gezira’s waterpolo academy head coach Tamer Mohsen said -. It’s the best youth waterpolo event in the world, a great experience for kids”.
In 2018 Gezira will participate for the sixth time.
We started in 2012, but last year we chose to go to HaBaWaBa Greece. We are really happy to come back.
Will Gezira delegation be numerous as usual?
We will bring two teams, both in the U11 tournament: 31 players and 4 coaches overall.
On the other hand, the Gezira’s waterpolo academy is quite big.
Gezira U13 team will join play HaBaWaBa Plus U13
Yes, it is: we can count on 75 U11 players overall. However we will also participate in other HaBaWaBa events: our U13 team will be at HaBaWaBa PLUS U13 and the U12 squad will fly to Barcelona to play HaBaWaBa Spain.
Why will Gezira come again to the HaBaWaBa International Festival?
It’s a perfect event for kids, they can grow up as players and as individuals. They learn discipline and how to organize their own day and, consequently, their own life. And if you learn discipline, you can learn anything. As for the tournament, kids can play more than 12 games in 5 days, gaining more experience than they can ever do here at home. They can discover how is the athlete’s lifestyle and thanks to the workshops they can learn to work together, as a group or a small community.
Has Gezira’s participation in HaBaWaBa events improved the Egyptian waterpolo?
Gezira U12 team will participate in HaBaWaBa Spain
Now kids start playing early, at age 8. And the Egyptian Federation is about to start an official competition for U11 players. As for us, we train hard for the entire year thinking to Lignano: HaBaWaBa International Festival is our target.
Do you dream of victory?
In 2016 our U9 team got the third place. Now they have grown up and we hope to be among the first 4 squads in the U11 tournament, inshallah.
