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Egypt is the gift of "Habby", and the Nile is an area surrounded by the barren desert. Habby is in fact the ancient name of the Nile, which left a deposit of rich soil that formed the Delta of Lower Egypt. The mighty sun, which sails across the sky from east to west every day, and which gives life to everything on earth, was to the Ancient Egyptian people the most powerful image in their life. One can not find, on this subject, more truthful references than the carvings on stone, or more accurate indications than the pictorial records on murals which the Ancient Egyptians left in their temples and tombs. These carved and painted records left by the Ancient Egyptians are too plentiful and one must, therefore, be content with no more than a single specimen for every type of Sport. The Ancient Egyptians engaged themselves in sports with the intention of training and strengthening their bodies, and also for pleasure and recreation.
Ancient Egyptians played a game that is similar to our present-day Hockey. Drawings on tombs at Beni Hassan in Menia Governorate show players holding bats made of long palm-tree branches, with a bent end similar to that of the hockey bat. The hockey ball was made of compressed papyrus fibers covered with two pieces of leather in the shape of a semicircle. The ball was dyed in two or more colors.Both players are holding a short stick that ended in a curved horn-like end . The two players are shown facing each other and attempting to draw the ball toward them. The ball is on the ground between them - a move that is also included in modern day field hockey. "This primitive hockey game is still played in the countryside and is known as Hoksha," Hockey first appeared on the Olympic program at the 1908 London Games and again in 1920 at Antwerp. The sport was again featured on the program at Amsterdam in 1928 and has been an Olympic sport ever since. Women's hockey became a fixture on the Olympic program in Moscow in 1980. |
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