US coach “very comfortable” over Egypt trip

CAIRO - 19 June 2017: A U.S. basketball coach has said he is “very comfortable” about taking his teenage basketball team to Egypt next month to participate in a sporting competition, Kentucky Sports reported.

John Calipari, coach of the United States Under 19 basketball team, denied any fears of traveling to Egypt to participate in the U19 Basketball World Cup during a teleconference last week. The competition will be hosted by Cairo in the Cairo International Stadium July 1 to 9.

Calipari acknowledged he had concerns in the beginning, but said Egypt’s president himself has been involved in security preparations for the team.

“If I wasn’t comfortable, I wouldn’t go,” Calipari said. “I’m very comfortable (after) walking through the way we’ve done this — being thorough, very thorough — that we’re going to be fine.”

The U.S. team is schedule to arrive in Egypt on June 27.