25/08/2023
It is well known now that Morocco has recently been excelling in football. The success of the men’s team last year in Qatar and the women’s team in Australia this year is evidence of this. Making it through to the round of 16 at the 2023 World Cup allowed the women’s team to move up 14 place in FIFA’s latest rankings, placing us at 58 worldwide, up from 72. These achievements are the fruit of years of hard work of not only the Moroccan Football Association, but they are also a reflection of the Sovereign’s persistence and mobilization.
As of late, these are not the only sporting accomplishments that the Kingdom has seen. In football, Morocco’s Olympic team won the CAF U-23 Africa Cup of Nations, qualifying them for the 2024 Olympic Games. In addition, the U-17 team reached the finals of the 2023 U-17 Africa Cup of Nations, which earned them a spot at the FIFA U-17 World Cup later this year.
On top of these feats, Morocco has flourished in many other sports this year. The ninth edition of the Francophone Games, was held in Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo. In the women’s 1,500-meter, Morocco blitzed the event, gaining gold, silver and bronze medals. At the completion of the competition, Morocco won a total of 58 medals with 23 gold, 16 silver, and 19 bronze.
Similarly, in the 23rd edition of the Arab Athletics Championship for Adults held in Marrakech, Morocco’s national athletics team was crowned champion. The team was awarded first place on the tournament’s medal tally with 56 medals in total; 17 gold, 25 silver, and 14 bronze.
Moroccan runner Soufiane El Bakkali was recently named world champion in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, for the second time in a row following his victory in the final of the World Athletics Championships held in Budapest.
In recent karate news, Morocco brought home 22 medals during the African Karate Championships. Achievements in this event included Salah-Eddine El Bahry who won gold in the under 76 kg and Doae Choukri, under 59 kg, who was crowned African champion.
Across the Mediterranean, 12-year-old Youssef Tazi, made headlines after conquering Mount Ararat, Türkiye’s highest peak. With an altitude of 5,165 meters, Youssef reached the summit after a five-day journey. This makes him the youngest Moroccan climber to break through the 5,000-meter barrier.
In July, the Moroccan national basketball team tremendously won the AfroCan 2023.
Earlier this year we also saw the historic feats of Khadija El Mardi, who became the first Moroccan, African, and Arab woman to win a gold medal in international boxing.