After winning the bronze medal at the Olympic Games in Tokyo 2020, the first words of the French judoka Teddy Riner went to Morocco . He expressed his deep gratitude to the kingdom that welcomed him as part of his preparations.
A glimmer of hope for the Moroccans competing in Tokyo. Athletes Soufiane El Bakkali and Mohamed Tindouft qualified, on Friday, for the final of the 3,000m steeplechase at the Olympic Games.
Several countries, including Morocco, have seen some of their athletes excluded from the athletics events of the 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games, 36 hours before their start. The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) accuses them of not fully complying with the rules on anti-doping controls.
As if fate was persecuting the Moroccan delegation in Tokyo, an athlete has just joined Samy Colman on the list of Moroccan athletes forced to abandon their dream of winning a medal. Wrestler Zied Ayt Okrame, the only Moroccan entered in Greco-Roman wrestling in Tokyo, tested positive for Coronavirus.
Bad news keeps piling up for Moroccan athletes present at the Tokyo Olympics. The latest is the disqualification, on Tuesday, of Moroccan boxer Youness Baalla (- 91 kg). He allegedly tried to bite his opponent’s ear during a heavyweight fight.
Another bad news for Moroccan athletes competing in Tokyo. Moroccan rider Samy Colman announced his withdrawal from the Olympic Games after testing positive for the coronavirus a few days ago. He joins Abdelkebir Ouaddar, Ghali Boukaa and Ali Ahrach with whom he had qualified for the show jumping competition.
Good news from Tokyo for the Moroccan Ramzi Boukhiam . He qualified on Sunday for the round of 16 of the surfing event, part of the ongoing Olympics in Japan .
Postponed by a year due to the coronavirus pandemic, the 2020 Olympic Games were launched on July 23 in Tokyo. 48 Moroccan athletes will participate, the majority already on site.
In search of a third title, the French double Olympic medalist Teddy Riner has exiled himself for the last eight months in Morocco to prepare both physically and mentally. A France 2 team has looked into the athlete who, to move forward, has made major changes within his team.
The Moroccan surfer Ramzi Boukhiam, 26 years old, is the first Moroccan and Arab athlete to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics scheduled from July 26 to August 9. Appointed with the boxer Oumaima Belhabib, to be the flag bearers of the Moroccan delegation, he is aiming for gold.
Moroccan athletes who are part of the Moroccan delegation expected at the Tokyo Olympics have stated that they will miss the call if their federations do not pay them their full salaries. They complain about the treatment they receive and point out that their officials will be held accountable for the consequences of their absence from these international competitions for which the authorities have promised big bonuses in case of victory.
For the Tokyo Olympics , Morocco will present 48 athletes. They will compete in 18 sports disciplines.