In a concerning incident, Egyptian Olympic wrestler Mohamed ‘Kesho’ Ibrahim has been arrested in Paris on suspicion of s3xual assault.
According to a statement from the Paris prosecutor’s office, the 24-year-old wrestler, who represented Egypt at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, was apprehended around 5am on August 9th in front of the Oz cafe. He is alleged to have touched the buttocks of another customer at the establishment.
The Egyptian Olympic Committee (EOC) has confirmed that Kesho, who won a bronze medal in the men’s 67kg Greco-Roman wrestling event in Tokyo, is the team member who was arrested. The EOC has stated that the wrestler will now face an investigation by its ethics committee, and could potentially be handed a life ban from competition if the allegations are substantiated.
“If the allegations are substantiated, the wrestler will face permanent suspension and will be barred from participating in both domestic and international competitions,” the EOC said in a statement.
Kesho had been eliminated from the wrestling competition at the Paris 2024 Olympics on Wednesday, having lost his opening-round match against Azerbaijan’s Hasrat Jafarov. The EOC has revealed that Kesho had been given permission to leave the Egyptian team camp to watch the final of his weight category, but failed to return and switched off his phone.
This disturbing incident has cast a dark cloud over the Egyptian wrestling team’s participation at the Games. The EOC has vowed to take strong action if the charges against Kesho are proven, underlining its zero-tolerance approach to such behavior from its athletes.
The case will now be closely followed as the legal process unfolds, with the reputation of both Kesho and the Egyptian Olympic program hanging in the balance.
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