Meet the new Swim Ontario Board Members

Swim Ontario has two new board members for the 2024-2025 season; Taylor Bond and Ahmed Abdelfattah. Today, please meet Ahmed Abdelfattah!

His passion defines his life.

Despite constant life challenges, the focus remains unchanged for Ahmed Abdelfattah.

Remarkable in many ways, he’s an active listener, intelligent and very well educated. Once you get to know him, it becomes crystal clear that he’s focussed and resolute in more things than just his profession.

Abdelfattah is fixated on developing, and enhancing strategies that have paved the way to what has become a profound career in project and program management.

His work experiences, encompassing some 26 years, have included stops in Europe, Asia and Africa. Born in Egypt, for the past 15 years, home for him and his family has been in a suburb of Ottawa.

He’s the kind of individual who is always finding ways to reign among the best. For him, a daily challenge is to improve, and effectively address the needs of others. His work has been nothing short of high quality.

For the past few years, Abdelfattah has focussed on managing the implementation of technology initiatives for Brookfield Renewable Partners. Brookfield is a major company that operates one of the world's largest publicly traded platforms for renewable power and decarbonization solutions.

When Abdelfattah is not pinpointed on the pressures related to employment, his career and family, he does find some down time for personal matters. Of high importance, and dear to him, is the priority of giving back. Dig deeper on what he means and it’s zeroing in on the country that welcomed and gave him opportunities.

“My hobby has always been to have a positive impact,” he said. “I hope that is something I strive to achieve in many ways. It all points to finding ways to pay back (to Canada) for allowing me the freedom and abilities to help society and the communities that are part of my life.”

When an opportunity came for him to add to his schedule, Abdelfattah didn’t hesitate.

He was nominated to the Board of Directors for Swim Ontario – the largest provincial organization of its kind in Canada. Graciously accepting what he called a highlight in his life, he will serve, for a two-year cycle.

Swim Ontario’s Board consists of nine members, all distinguished in their respective communities, who are committed to the organization’s vision of remaining a world leader in swimming excellence.

“This is a great honour for me - and I will do whatever I can to continue building the success of swimming in Ontario for people of all ages,” he said. “I want everyone who has the ability and interest to swim – to do just that. Doesn’t matter if it’s at the competitive level or just for fun and recreation.

“There comes a time when your goals in life go beyond just sitting around,” he said. “I had experience in planning, risk management and so much more. I knew there were additional ways to commit to the community and so I wanted to use my knowledge and skills to help. I had this passion to do what I could in swimming - and here I am.”

Worth noting is that the world of aquatics is not new to the 44-year-old. Okay, to be fully transparent, he is fixated on another sport, too. His 16-year-old daughter is a member of the Canadian National water polo squad, and 13-year-old son is actively involved on a water polo club team.

For the patriarch of the family, he’s also had his days as a competitive athlete. His specialty sport - swimming.

Raised in Cairo, and even though he was fascinated with soccer and desired to work in law enforcement, like many members of his extended family, Abdelfattah benefitted immensely from his desire to do well in the pool.

Diligent and determined, he was very successful in regional competitions, piling up a variety of awards. They included setting a country-wide 100-metres freestyle record, as a 14-year-old, which stood for five years.

Then came another highlight in his life. It was his selection to the National swim team of Egypt where he competed, as a freestyler, in various African championships.

But he wasn’t done.

With glowing credentials from the National Coaching Certification Program, he has coached 10-to-14-year-old boys and girls, who are members of the Capital Wave Swim Club in Ottawa. Abdelfattah also added to his list of accomplishments another title. It’s one he cherishes after much hard work. It’s known as Level 5 – the highest category of officiating in Canada.

Timer, turn judge, finish judge, referee, he’s done it all. Now, another huge step – guiding Swim Ontario in the days, months, and years ahead with new generations of swimmers.

Abdelfattah was a member of the Swim Ontario Officials Committee but had to give up those duties when he was appointed to the Board.

“My dream come true is to one day make the list of officials that are chosen for major international events,” he said, referring to the decision makers at World Aquatics, formerly known by the acronym of FINA which translates in English to the International Swim Federation.

When talking with Abdelfattah about his initiation to swimming, he hesitated a bit and then elaborated on a personal experience. It went back to those early years as a toddler. At the age of two, and curious like most youngsters, he fell into a pool and was pulled from the water by his father.

“I was very lucky and fortunate – could have died,” recalled Abdelfattah who, later in life, had another brush with near tragedy. “This time, it was an accident in Egypt, on the highway from Cairo to Alexandria. I remember being in hospital for six months while recovering from knee and shoulder injuries. Metal supports were put in my knees - and I had to give up on competitive swimming.”

Abdelfattah does have concerns about what he calls “a lack of federal Government financial support for athletes” and what that could mean down the road.

“I have seen obstacles and limitations – and I’m sure that’s the case in all sports,” he said. “Sports are important to kids – for health, camaraderie, skill development, teamwork. Our government talks about sport development, but I firmly believe it also needs to provide enough funding to give our youth what they need and deserve to compete.

“What bothers me is that Canada has future Olympians and World champions who have quit because their parents and communities don’t have the funds to help them. We must be smart enough to find ways to support them.”

David Grossman is a veteran multi award-winning Journalist and Broadcaster with some of Canada’s major media, including the Toronto Star and SPORTSNET 590 THE FAN, and a Public Relations professional for 50+ years in Canadian sports and Government relations.