The wrath of Algerian champion Taoufik Makhloufi, trapped in South Africa

Taoufik Makhloufi has chosen to share his bitterness on social networks. In a message posted on Saturday July 4 on Facebook and Twitter, the Olympic champion of the 1500 m in London says that he has been stuck since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic in South Africa.

"It has been four months since I have been stranded in South Africa, neither repatriation nor even a gesture which comes close to it on the part of the Algerian state to allow me to return to the country", writes the athlete, who denounces l failure of the Algerian authorities to find a solution. "This shows that I am little regarded, as an Algerian citizen and even as an Olympic champion who raised the national colors high. If I decided to express what I feel, it is not to arouse the compassion of whoever it is, at whatever level, "he adds.

تقريبا أربعة أشهر وأنا مرمي في جنوب إفريقيا🇿🇦 (جوهسبورغ) لا إجلاء ولا حتي حركة تشبه له من طرف الدولة الجمع

It is not the first time that the 32-year-old athlete, double bronze medalist in Rio, warns of his situation. Since the start of confinement, he has not been able to leave South Africa, where he was in preparation for the Tokyo Games, now postponed to 2021, in the company of French athletes who, themselves, been repatriated. Last June, he was ironic by publishing a message in which he imagined traveling all over Africa to be able to return to his country.

هذا هو حلها 🏃‍♂️🏃‍♂️🏃‍♂️

Many stranded athletes

As the Algerian newspaper El Watan specifies, Taoufik Makhloufi is not the only one to experience this complicated situation. "Ten Algerian athletes, including five from the military selection, have been stranded in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, for almost five months," said the daily. "But their situation is totally different because they are well taken care of by the Algerian ambassador to Kenya. She has mobilized to accommodate the athletes in a luxury hotel, located in the residential district of Nairobi."

According to the ObservAlgeria website, some fifty Algerian sportsmen are also stranded in Saudi Arabia, including football coach Kheireddine Madoui, who is demanding their repatriation.

In response to Taoufik Makloufi's cry of anger, the Algerian Minister of Youth and Sports, Sid Ali Khaldi, indicated on Saturday in a Facebook message that his guardianship is closely monitoring the situation of sportsmen stranded abroad and especially that of the Olympic champion: "I am in constant contact with him. The MJS did not scrimp on the means to assure him a total care in Johannesburg in South Africa, as well as other athletes who are stranded at Nairobi in Kenya and the swimmers who are in Montreal. "

The minister said that "despite the difficult situation and the closure of most airports around the world due to the health crisis, we will do everything to repatriate our athletes as soon as possible".

اتابع عن كثب الوضعية التي يتواجد فيها بطلنا الاولمبي توفيق مخلوفي الذي أتواصل معه أنا ومصالحي باستمرار ، بلر

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