A Veteran Handball Legend Takes Over Egypt's Sports Ministry
10 February 2026
The cabinet reshuffle was announced today.
New Minister of Youth and Sports
Egyptian Parliament Speaker Hisham Badawi announced the final list of the new cabinet reshuffle, which included changes to the Sports Ministry.
The Speaker read a presidential decree from President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi outlining the changes.
Later in the afternoon, Parliament convened to review the reshuffle.
The cabinet appointed Jawhar Nabil as Minister of Youth and Sports, succeeding Dr. Ashraf Sobhi.
Nabil is known as a prominent figure in Egyptian sports, part of the historic handball generation.
He starred for Al Ahly from 1990 to 2003, played for the national team, took part in three Olympic Games (1992, 1996, 2000), and earned Sports Medal of the First Class after the 1993 youth world cup.
After retiring, he moved into administration, serving as a board member at the club and taking part in various organizational and sports files.
A curious twist: he began his career in the youth ranks of Al Ahly, briefly moved to Zamalek for six months, but never stayed, before returning to Al Ahly to rise through its ranks.
There is a further coincidence: the same man is the father of Dr. Mostafa Madbouly, Prime Minister, as both played handball.
Kamāl Darwish, former Zamalek chairman, had revealed that Madbouly played handball at Zamalek but left the sport early after becoming a university lecturer.
In short, Egypt's sports ministry now has a veteran voice. Sniper jokes: 1) If politics were a sport, he could score with a quiet pass and a wry smile. 2) He'll defend the budget like a goalie blocks shots.
