Sports in Morocco - Athletics to Soccer!

Road to the 2016 London Olympics!

Pan Arab Games

Did you know- Between August 8 and August 16, 1985,Rabat, the capital city of the Kingdom of Morocco, hosted the VI Pan Arab Games. Over 3,400 athletes from 17 nations competed in North Africa. The local team took first place in the unofficial team championships.

Sports

Did you know- The most popular sports are soccer, tennis, athletics, boxing, basketball, and handball.

Summer Olympics - 1976 & 1980

Did you know- By the mid-1970s, a rugby squad of NZ visited South Africa, an international pariah between 1960 and 1990. Because of this, the Kingdom of Morocco criticized the participation in the Montreal Olympics of a New Zealand team. By July 1976, the Kingdom boycotted the Games in Canada. In 1980, the country -like Egypt, Sudan, and Somalia-- also declined to compete in the Summer Games in Moscow. The boycott was a protest against the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, an Arab nation.

Football

Did you know- The men's soccer squad from Morocco won the African Cup of Nations in 1976. Six years ago, it competed in the global tournament, but the results were anything but glorious: the men's football team finished in 14th place in the FIFA World Cup in the United Mexican States. By June 1986, however, the country came in 11th place in the universal event, ahead of Italy, Uruguay and Scotland. In that year, Morocco represented Africa. On the other hand, in the early 70s, the North African squad finished seventh place in the 13rd Men's Olympic Football Tournament in the Federal Republic of Germany, ahead of Brazil and the United States.

Olympic Champs

Did you know- In the international Olympic Games, Morocco has had notable Olympic champs, among them Said Aouita ( Olympic 5,000 gold medalist in 1984), Brahim Boutaib (Olympic 10,000 champion in 1988 ), Khalid Skah (Olympic 10,000 gold medalist in 1992), Hicham El Guerrouj (2004 Olympic 1,500 & 5, 000 champion) and Nawal el Moutawakii (Olympic 400 m hurdles gold medalist in 1984). At the 1984 Games in California, Nawal made history when she became the first Arab woman to win an Olympic gold medal. As a result of her performance, Nawal is an idol in North Africa. Currently she is a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

Volleyball

Did you know- The FIVB Men's Junior World Tournament was held in Morocco in 2007.

African Games

Did you know- The Arab nation did not compete in the 2007 All-Africa Games in Algeria.

Alejandro Guevara Onofre: Freelance writer. Alejandro is author of a host of articles/essays about over 220 countries and dependencies (and American States as well), from ecology, history, tourism and national heroes to Olympic sports, foreign relations, and wildlife. In addition, he has published some books on women's rights, among them "History of the Women in America" and "Famous Americans."

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