Omar Sabry

During World War II, Omar Sabry was an anti-British activist. Afterwards, however, he became a graduate of the Faculty of Agriculture at King Fuad I University (now Cairo University) and was recognized for his aquatic talents, having been trained by Egyptian Olympic medalist Farid Simaika. His membership in the Egyptian relay team that swam the English Channel in 1949 led to him being made an officer of the Egyptian Army so that he could be part of their water polo team. Having established a world record in the six-man swim across the Channel, the sextet attempted it again in 1950, but did not complete the journey. He was more successful at the inaugural 1951 Mediterranean Games, where he earned a silver medal in the water polo event, and was also a member of the squad that was eliminated in the preliminary round of the tournament at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics.

Sabry served in the Egyptian military through independence in 1952 and the 1956 Suez War and then worked for both the government and the private sector in agriculture through 1964. He was then recruited by the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization and did not fully retire until the age of 70. A member of a notable political family, his older brother Ali served as both Vice-President and Prime Minister of Egypt during his career.