PARIS: Egyptian fencer Nada Hafez has revealed that she fought at the Paris Olympics while seven months pregnant.
Hafez posted on Instagram that she was “carrying a little Olympian one” hours after she had reached the round of 16 in women’s saber Monday.
The 26-year-old fencer from Cairo upset Elizabeth Tartakovsky of the United States, a former NCAA champion, before losing to Jeon Hayoung of South Korea.
“My baby & I had our fair share of challenges, be it both physical & emotional,” Hafez wrote. “The rollercoaster of pregnancy is tough on its own, but having to fight to keep the balance of life & sports was nothing short of strenuous, however worth it. I’m writing this post to say that pride fills my being for securing my place in the round of 16!”
A former gymnast with a degree in medicine, Hafez is a three-time Olympian who won gold medals in the individual and team saber events at the 2019 African Games. She finished Monday’s competition officially ranked 16th, her best result in any of her three Olympic appearances.
Egyptian fencer Nada Hafez reveals she competed at the Paris Olympics while 7 months pregnant
Egyptian fencer Nada Hafez reveals she competed at the Paris Olympics while 7 months pregnant
Lebanon judge to question shipowner linked to port blast
- The Lebanese judicial official said “Bitar headed to Sofia on Wednesday”
- He is expected to question Grechushkin the following day
BEIRUT: Lebanese judge Tarek Bitar headed to Bulgaria on Wednesday to question a shipowner wanted in connection with a catastrophic 2020 Beirut port blast, a judicial official told AFP.
The long-awaited questioning comes after a court this month refused Lebanon’s request to extradite Igor Grechushkin, a 48-year-old Russian-Cypriot who was arrested in September at Sofia airport.
Authorities in Lebanon say the August 4, 2020 explosion was triggered by a fire in a warehouse where tons of ammonium nitrate fertilizer had been stored haphazardly for years, despite repeated warnings to senior officials.
Beirut authorities have identified Grechushkin as the owner of the Rhosus, the ship that brought the ammonium nitrate into the port.
The blast was one of the world’s largest non-nuclear explosions, destroying swathes of the Lebanese capital, killing more than 220 people and injuring more than 6,500.
The Lebanese judicial official told AFP on condition of anonymity that “Bitar headed to Sofia on Wednesday” and is expected to question Grechushkin the following day.
The Lebanese embassy in Sofia is arranging for a translator and a clerk to record the minutes of the questioning, which Bulgarian judicial officials are to attend, the official said.
According to Bulgarian prosecutors, Grechushkin is accused by Lebanese judicial authorities of “introducing explosives into Lebanon — a terrorist act that resulted in the death of a large number of people.”
The Lebanese judicial official told AFP that authorities are relying on Grechushkin’s testimony and the information he has about the ammonium nitrate shipment “and the party that ordered and financed it,” and to determine if Beirut was the ship’s destination.
Bitar resumed his investigation this year as Lebanon’s balance of power shifted following a war between Israel and Hezbollah that weakened the militant group, which had spearheaded a campaign against him.
A travel ban imposed on Bitar as part of a judicial battle related to the case was recently lifted.
President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, who both took office this year, have vowed to uphold the independence of the judiciary in a country plagued by official impunity.
Officials named in the port explosion investigation had filed a flurry of lawsuits seeking to hamper its progress.
