Tuesday, September 17, 2024 at 5:35 p.m.
Casablanca – A reception was held on Tuesday at Casablanca’s Mohammed V International Airport in honor of the national under-18 (U18) athletics team, which finished top of the overall standings of the 10th Arab Championship, held from September 12 to 15 in Taif, Saudi Arabia.
Morocco topped the championship medal table (boys/girls) with 31 medals, 10 gold, 13 silver and 8 bronze.
Speaking upon the arrival in Casablanca of the Moroccan delegation, the spokesperson for the Royal Moroccan Athletics Federation (FRMA), Mohamed Nouri, stressed that Moroccan athletes were involved in all technical events, as well as long-distance and middle-distance races, specifying that the Moroccan participation marked “a success” as evidenced by the harvest of medals won.
He indicated that the national selection consisted of 31 athletes (15 girls and 16 boys), highlighting the role of regional training centers, clubs and leagues, in the training of these champions, in collaboration with the FRMA, calling on athletics practitioners to persevere in order to worthily represent Morocco in various international competitions.
For her part, athlete Saida Albouzi, from the Mohammed VI International Academy of Ifrane, expressed her joy at having won first place in the 800 meters and having offered a gold medal to Morocco, affirming her determination to participate in the biggest international sporting events.
Abdelghafour Ahizoune, a member of the Haut Malouia Athletics Club who won the silver medal in the 2000 meters steeplechase, praised the efforts of the FRMA to ensure favorable conditions for athletes and good participation in this championship, also highlighting the work of the supervisors and coaches.
The Arab U18 Athletics Championship, which ended last Sunday, saw the participation of 18 countries: Saudi Arabia (host country), Morocco, Jordan, United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Yemen, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Syria, Lebanon, Sudan, Iraq, Tunisia, Mauritania, Libya, Algeria. Some twenty sports disciplines were also on the menu of the competition.
