Dec 25 (Reuters) - - Egypt has appointed an interim committee to run its swimming federation following the death of a young swimmer as prosecutors prepared to try on Thursday senior officials including the head of the federation and the Egyptian Olympic Committee for alleged gross negligence.
Youssef Mohamed drowned during a national under-12 championship on December 2 after remaining unnoticed underwater for more than 10 minutes, sparking nationwide outrage and renewed scrutiny of safety standards at sporting events.
The Ministry of Youth and Sports said on Thursday it had contacted World Aquatics to oversee the interim swimming federation committee in order to ensure compliance with international charters and regulations.
It added that it was reviewing case files referred by the public prosecution to identify violations and prevent similar incidents.
The announcement comes two days after prosecutors ordered an urgent criminal trial for Yasser Idris, the head of the swimming federation and the country's Olympic Committee, the federation’s executive director and board members, the head of the competitions committee, the tournament director, the chief referee and three lifeguards.
They are accused of failing to perform their duties, leading to Youssef's death and endangering other participants.
Idris did not immediately respond to Reuters calls for comment.
The swimming federation said in a statement after Youssef's death that it had suspended all activities "out of respect for public opinion and the family of Youssef Mohamed, pledging full compliance with court rulings and accountability for anyone found negligent".
(Reporting Ashraf Hamed Atta; Editing by Emelia Sithole-Matarise)
