Egyptian athlete accused of sexual assault and arrested in Paris

This Friday (9), the Egyptian athlete wrestlingMohamed Ibrahim Elsayed, was arrested in Paris, accused of sexual assault. According to French authorities, the suspicion is that the athlete had touched a woman without authorization, which led to his arrest as he left a cafe.

According to information released by the local Public Prosecutor's Office, the fighter allegedly touched the victim's buttocks and was drunk at the time he was detained by French police at 5 a.m. The authorities did not reveal the fighter's identity in their reports, only that he was from Egypt and was in Paris to compete in the Olympics. Later, it was the Egyptian delegation itself that confirmed the identity of the accused athlete in a statement. In this case, Mohamed Ibrahim Elsayed, 26, a Greco-Roman wrestling competitor in the up to 67 kg category.

Open investigations

In addition to providing details about the incident, French authorities said an investigation has been opened into the incident. The Egyptian Olympic Committee said in a statement on Friday that it has opened a separate investigation into the incident. According to the organization, Elsayed could be permanently banned from competition if he is found guilty of sexual assault.

Embed from Getty Images

_{Elsayed competing at the Paris Olympics (reproduction/Jack Guez/Getty Images)}

Passage to the Olympics

The Egyptian wrestler is no stranger to Olympic competitions. The athlete had already participated in the 2021 edition of the games in Tokyo, and secured third place on the podium and a bronze medal in his category in Greco-Roman wrestling this year.

However, his performance at the Paris Olympic Games was not as brilliant. The Egyptian athlete was eliminated from the competition recently, this Wednesday (7), in the round of 16. The elimination occurred in a fight against Hasrat Jafarov, an athlete from Azerbaijan.

Featured photo: Mohamed Ibrahim Elsayed at the Paris Olympics (Photo: Tom Pennington/Getty Images)