Some mothers—patients of mine and members of civil society organizations I support—contacted me, deeply upset about the date of a sports championship their children love. The federation of the sport (as I was told) scheduled it at the exact day and hour of their family celebration of the religious holiday, which would deprive their children of participation and competition.
I researched the matter and confirmed it. I decided to write, because the issue is not merely the timing of a sports championship, nor is it about gymnastics or a crowded competition calendar. The issue is far deeper than that. It touches the very core of the idea of the civil state and how the public sphere is managed in a religiously and culturally diverse society.
Scheduling the National Trampoline Gymnastics Championship (2025/2026 season – under-10 category) on the evening of Christmas Eve, January 6, during the time of religious observance, raises a legitimate question—not about intention, but about impact.
Time is not always neutral. In political philosophy, time is not viewed merely as numbers on a calendar, but as a carrier of meaning.
There is ordinary time, and there is symbolic time. When a public institution chooses a time that is sacred to a segment of citizens and fails to consider the impact of that choice on them, it—even unintentionally—produces a form of practical exclusion.
A Coptic Christian boy or girl at this age is not given a real choice: either participate in a national championship or adhere to a recognized religious and family ritual. Here, the concept of equal opportunity collapses.
The Egyptian Constitution did not merely declare general principles; it laid down clear foundations for equal citizenship:
Article (64): Freedom of belief is absolute, and the state guarantees the freedom to practice religious rituals. This protection is not limited to formal permission, but extends to refraining from public decisions that practically restrict this freedom.
Equality and the rejection of indirect discrimination
Article (53): Citizens are equal before the law, with no discrimination based on religion. Discrimination here does not require intent; it is measured by its real-world outcome.
And the outcome in this case is clear: the effective exclusion of Coptic Christian children from participation—not for technical or organizational reasons, but for a religious one.
Equal opportunity is not a slogan
Article (9): The state is committed to achieving equal opportunity for all citizens without discrimination. Equal opportunity does not mean opening the door to everyone at the same time, but removing obstacles that make entry possible for some and impossible for others.
Sport as a constitutional right
Article (84): Sport is a right for all, and the state is committed to caring for the talented. Sport, as an educational right, should be a space for inclusion, not exclusion—a field of justice, not a test of religious loyalty.
Rights are not diminished by regulation
Article (92): Rights and freedoms inherent to the person of the citizen may not be suspended or diminished.
No administrative regulation—however minor it may seem—may infringe upon these rights under the pretext of a “schedule” or “necessity.” This article is not an accusation, but a clear call to reconsider.
Respecting religious holidays is not a social courtesy; it is a practical application of the Constitution and the spirit of citizenship. Adjusting the date of a championship does not weaken an institution; it strengthens trust in it and affirms that the state is capable of correcting its decisions when they conflict—however unintentionally—with justice.
The sport we want for our children should teach them how to win—but before that, it should teach them justice.
