The Moroccan Ministry of Youth and Sports was founded in August 1964 and houses all the sporting federations in the country. Despite the Ministry's mission to engage young people in sporting opportunities, many Moroccan athletes denounce the institution as not giving young Moroccans enough sponsorship or opportunities to play sports professionally.[2]
Host of events
Morocco will host the FIFA World Cup in 2030 with Portugal and Spain to be the first by more than one continent to host the tournament which Morocco finally won the right having failed five times. It will be the first time that Morocco has hosted it, the second country in African after 2010 in South Africa, the second Arab country after Qatar in 2022 and the first in North Africa.[3]
Morocco hosted the 2019 African Games in Rabat; it was the first time that the country hosted the event. It was the largest African Games ever and the largest sporting event to be hosted by Morocco.
In 2019, it was announced that Morocco would host the inaugural African Para Games in Rabat in January 2020.[4] however, due to poor relations between the Africa Paralympic Committee and the country's authorities, Morocco withdrew and the event took place in Cairo, Egypt.
Morocco first joined the FIBA in 1936. It has won one AfroBasket title and one AfroCan title.[37][38]
Kickboxing
Morocco is known for having great Kickboxing fighters, Badr Hari is considered to be one of the best Kickboxer in the world.
Equestrian sports
Morocco has a vibrant equestrian sports community headed by the Royal Moroccan Equestrian Federation. Morocco's most famous equestrian, Abdelkebir Ouaddar, represented the country in the 2014 Normandy World Equestrian Games and 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.[39]
Mehdi Bennani is Morocco's most notable racing driver. He has competed in the World Touring Car Championship since 2009, where he has scored a number of top three finishes. In 2014 he scored his first WTCC win at the championship's Shanghai round.[40]
Morocco hosted the 2002 Morocco Cup, which was well attended.[41] Sri Lanka beat South Africa in the final.[42]
Morocco boasts an ICC approved ground capable of hosting full internationals, the National Cricket Stadium in Tangier. It has so far hosted a One Day International triangular tournament, the Morocco Cup in 2002, where Sri Lanka won ahead of South Africa and Pakistan.
Rugby union came to Morocco in the early 20th century, mainly by the French who occupied the country.[48] As a result, Moroccan rugby was tied to the fortunes of France, during the first and second World War, with many Moroccan players going away to fight.[48] Like many other Maghreb nations, Moroccan rugby tended to look to Europe for inspiration, rather than to the rest of Africa.