Cold
Many hours in open water without a wetsuit, under Channel rules.
Endurance swimming · English Channel
There and back.
After crossing the Channel once, Ahmed Nasef is preparing to double the challenge: England to France and back to England.
In 2014 Ahmed Nasef crossed the English Channel from England to France in a documented time of 18 hours and 48 minutes. The next mission is a two-way attempt: England → France → England.
Announced target · Preparation under way
For brands and partners
One athlete.One extraordinary challenge.One opportunity for brands to become part of the story.
A sporting challenge. A human story. A platform for brands that support extraordinary people.
2014 → 2027
From one crossing to there and back
2014
England → France
18h 48m
A documented one-way English Channel crossing, entered in the Channel Swimming Association record book.
Then12 years later
2027
England → France → England
Planned attempt
A two-way crossing Ahmed is preparing for. It is an announced attempt, not a completed result, and depends on conditions, execution, observation and official ratification.
The athlete in the water
Hours in open water, not a view of the sea
The mission is measured in unbroken hours of swimming. The image below is archive material from the documented 2014 English Channel crossing.
Archive · 2014The preparation system
The team building the attempt
Behind every hour in the water is a system of training, experience, planning, and safety. Meet the people supporting Ahmed on the way to a two-way English Channel crossing.
Ahmed Nasef
The athlete of the mission
Read profile
Captain Nabil El Shazly
Technical mentor
Read profile
Captain Nasser El Shazly
Historical mentor and mission team member
Read profile
Captain Sameh Nabil El Shazly
Institutional leadership
Read profile
Captain Osama El Shazly
Training and historical technical preparation
Read profile
Yasser Kamel
Marketing and communications
Read profile
Swipe to see the whole team
Documented achievement
The Record
All figures below are taken from the official Channel Swimming Association certificate supplied by the project team.
2014
First English Channel crossing documented in the supplied official certificate.
18h 48m
Officially documented crossing time.
England → France → England
The target route of the announced attempt.
Historic attempt
Subject to execution, observation and official ratification.
Testimonial
A Testimonial from an Egyptian Swimming Legend
A message from Captain Nabil El Shazly about Ahmed Nasef and the significance of the upcoming challenge for Egyptian swimming.
How the attempt is built
A world-level achievement is not built in the water alone
Behind Ahmed is a preparation system combining Channel expertise, specialist training, institutional coordination, maritime safety, documentation, and medical and logistics support. Sponsorship does not simply fund a swim; it enables an organized team to turn an exceptional attempt into an executable and ratifiable project.
- 01
Assessment
Physical, medical and technical evaluation of the athlete against the demands of a two-way crossing.
Read more - 02
Training
A structured programme built by coaches with long open-water and Channel experience.
Read more - 03
Open-water preparation
Progressive long-duration sea sessions in cold water, tides and darkness.
Read more - 04
Maritime safety and logistics
Pilot boat, crew, medical cover, feeding plan, travel and accommodation.
Read more - 05
Attempt, documentation and ratification
The attempt under association rules, with observation, documentation and official ratification.
Read more
The mission
The unprecedented mission
The mission is undertaken with the aim of becoming the first double-leg amputee swimmer to complete a two-way English Channel crossing, subject to official observation and ratification.
Announced target · Preparation under way
England → France → England — a two-way English Channel crossing.
- 01
Outbound — England to France
The same direction Ahmed swam in 2014, when he reached France in 18 hours and 48 minutes.
- 02
The turn
A two-way crossing has no rest on land. The swimmer touches French shore and turns straight back into the water.
- 03
Return — France to England
The second leg, swum on a body already beyond a full crossing. This is the part that has never been completed by a double-leg amputee swimmer.
What the mission demands
Tides
Two tidal windows instead of one, with no margin for a slow first leg.
Night
Swimming in darkness, guided only by the support boat.
Endurance
A continuous effort, with no rest on land between the two legs.
The two-way crossing is an announced objective. It has not taken place. Any record standing would be subject to observation and ratification by the certifying body.
The case for this athlete
Why Ahmed?
01
Human story
Ahmed lost both legs as a young man after a train accident, and rebuilt his life in the water. The story is documented, personal and already lived.
02
Proven achievement
In 2014 he swam the English Channel from England to France in 18 hours and 48 minutes, entered in the Channel Swimming Association record book.
03
Egyptian representation
An Egyptian athlete carrying his country's flag into one of the most demanding open-water challenges in the world.
04
Resilience and inclusion
A career built on adaptation rather than limitation, and a natural platform for brands that speak about inclusion and human potential.
05
The 2027 challenge
An England → France → England two-way attempt. It is an announced ambition, not a completed result, and any outcome is subject to official verification.
The wider opportunity
More than sponsorship
You are not simply sponsoring a swim. You are helping build a story that can live before, during and after the attempt.
01
Before the attempt
Training, preparation, athlete content and storytelling as the mission is built.
02
During the attempt
Attempt-day content, photography, video and brand association at sea.
03
After the attempt
Documentary and media storytelling, the verified outcome and potential commercial activation.
No media outcome, audience figure or commercial result is promised. Every element is agreed partner by partner.
A human story your brand can help bring to millions.
Three ways in
What can a brand build with this story?
Sponsor the mission
Support the journey and become an official partner of Ahmed's 2027 challenge.
Build the story
Create branded storytelling around Ahmed's preparation, training, journey, resilience and challenge.
Create the campaign
Develop consumer-facing campaigns, branded content, activations and advertising built around Ahmed's story.
Advertising, endorsement, image and name usage and other commercial rights are opportunities subject to separate commercial negotiation and written agreement.
Examples, not deliverables
Activation opportunities
- Branded films
- Social media storytelling
- QR and consumer storytelling experiences
- Training journey content
- Before / during / after campaign
- Product integration
- Documentary association
- Athlete and brand ambassador opportunities
Commercial campaigns, endorsement, image and name usage, territories, duration, media and other commercial rights are subject to separate agreement.
For brand and marketing teams
Turn the story into a campaign
Ahmed is not only an athlete your brand can support. He is a story your audience can discover, follow and remember.
Know Ahmed
Turn the story into a consumer discovery experience that people meet in shops, on screen and in their feeds.
- QR codes
- Product and packaging integration
- Digital landing experiences
- Social content
- Campaign storytelling
Follow the journey
Own an ongoing story instead of a single sponsorship moment: training, preparation, the English Channel and the return.
- Training content
- Preparation films
- Behind-the-scenes storytelling
- Attempt-period content
- Post-attempt storytelling
Become part of the story
Step into the story as a named partner and build your own campaign around it.
- Branded films
- Advertising campaigns
- Product integration
- Social campaigns
- Consumer activations
- Ambassador or campaign-face opportunities
Advertising, endorsement, Ahmed's name and image usage, territories, duration, media rights and campaign usage are subject to separate commercial agreement.
Ahmed's ambition knows no bounds — the mission continues toward a new dream: a two-way Channel crossing. The goal is doubled, the effort is doubled, and the ambition is limitless.
Story film
The Story of Ahmed Nasef
From a life-changing accident to the English Channel — and now, the journey back.
Audio: Arabic
The journey
The accident changed his life.It did not end his dream.
A train accident changed Ahmed Nasef's life forever. He lost both legs.
What followed was not surrender, but a decision to rebuild.
Through determination, training and an extraordinary commitment to endurance, Ahmed eventually faced one of the world's most demanding open-water challenges. In 2014, he crossed the English Channel from England to France.
Now, twelve years later, he is preparing to return.
One line, one life
From a life-changing accident to a new challenge
- 01Life
- 02The accident
- 03Loss of both legs
- 04Rebuilding
- 05Training
- 062014 English Channel crossing
- 07Twelve years
- 08The return
- 09A new challenge
The project
An athlete returning to unfinished water
Ahmed Nasef is an Egyptian endurance swimmer and double-leg amputee athlete. In 2014 he swam the English Channel from England to France. He is now preparing for a two-way English Channel crossing attempt: England to France and back to England.
The Athlete
An endurance career built on discipline, open-water experience and competition.
Read moreThe First Crossing
England to France, 20 July 2014 — documented by official certification.
Read moreThe Return
Preparing for a two-way English Channel crossing twelve years later.
Read moreThe Documentary
A film documenting Ahmed Nasef’s journey from the first crossing to the two-way mission.
Read moreThe sponsorship case
This is not a crossing attempt — it is the multiplication of a historic achievement.
THERE AND BACK — FROM A HISTORIC CROSSING TO AN UNPRECEDENTED ACHIEVEMENT.
After completing the English Channel crossing from England to France in 2014 in a documented time of 18 hours and 48 minutes, Ahmed Nasef is returning to face an even greater challenge: a two-way crossing from England to France and back to England. If completed and officially ratified, the attempt could establish a historic first for a double-leg amputee swimmer. This is not simply a longer swim; it is a multiplication of achievement, endurance, and human impact. We are looking for a partner who understands that extraordinary brands do not merely fund an achievement — they become part of its story.
- One crossing was an achievement. There and back could make history.
- The Channel tests more than strength; it tests what remains when excuses end.
- He lost his legs, not his way.
- Double the distance. Double the challenge. Leave an unforgettable mark.
Help make the 2027 attempt possible
Ahmed needs sponsorship for registration, six months of training operations, and travel and accommodation for his accompanying team. Your organisation can support a stage or a specific expense under a written agreement. Ask the team for the detailed budget and funding timetable. Commercial rights are negotiated separately.
Make the attempt possible
Three stages. One mission.
Ahmed needs sponsorship to complete the preparations for his announced 2027 two-way English Channel attempt. Support can cover a specific stage or expense, or contribute to the mission as a whole, under a written agreement.
01
Registration for 2027
Support the registration expenses for the planned 2027 attempt — the first funding priority.
02
Six months of training
Support training operations over six months as Ahmed prepares for the demands of the two-way crossing.
03
Team travel and accommodation
Support travel and accommodation for the accompanying team for the planned attempt.
The detailed budget and funding deadlines are shared directly by email and in the sponsorship proposal. The team will discuss which stage or expense your organisation can support.
Sponsorship funds the sporting mission. Advertising, endorsements and use of Ahmed's name, image or story require separate commercial negotiation and a written agreement; they are not included automatically.
Discuss support for the attemptPartnership
Explore a partnership with Ahmed
Join a journey built around resilience, ambition, inclusion and human potential.
For partners
A platform for purposeful partnerships
Ahmed Nasef's two-way Channel mission creates space for partnerships that bring together sport, discipline, documentation and human impact. Organisations interested in contributing may contact the project team to explore an appropriate partnership structure.
The next chapter has begun.
Follow Ahmed's journey back to the English Channel.