Moroccan activists have launched a digital campaign through social media platforms, demanding the dismissal of the heads of sports federations in the kingdom following the disappointing results of Moroccan sports in the Paris 2024 Olympics. Activists labeled the officials, who failed to achieve any success in the recent Olympic Games, as "occupants of positions," holding them responsible for the failure currently faced by Moroccan sports.
The hashtag "Dismissal of Federation Heads is a Public Demand" trended on social media, accompanied by images of the concerned sports federation heads, whom the participating activists criticized harshly for poor management, especially after Morocco only secured two medals in the last Olympic Games despite the participation of Moroccan athletes in numerous Olympic competitions. This is notable considering Algeria, a neighboring country, won two gold medals and one bronze, sharing first place in Africa with Egypt, second in the Arab region, and 39th globally. Meanwhile, Morocco ranked fifth in the Arab world and 60th globally with one gold and one bronze medal.
One participant in the campaign described the federation heads in a post on "X" as "dinosaurs," referring to their long tenures in their positions, and urged them to resign: "Leave your seats for young people with high levels of patriotism and competence to create new glory for Morocco. We are tired of your faces and your repeated, shameful failures."
Another participant tweeted, "In Morocco, there are 56 sports federations, some of which correspond to sports I have never seen in my life (badminton, cricket, ice hockey), and they have an army of employees, regional managers, and local heads... with high salaries and huge compensations in exchange for complete lack of results and significant neglect of athletes."
Another commentator expressed disappointment at Morocco's Olympic participation results, emphasizing, "This is a negative assessment by all standards for Morocco in the Olympic Games, and anyone who considers it positive is trying to justify their failure." He added, "If we compete fiercely with Spain and France in football, why can't we compete with them in other sports?"
In response to this digital campaign, one female user wrote, "It seems that the federation heads have neither resigned nor been dismissed or held accountable. Everyone remains in their position up to now, hiding in their offices waiting for the campaign to end, and some technical managers will be sacrificed, with the same exploitative pattern as in other areas."
It is noteworthy that Morocco left the Paris 2024 Olympic Games with a bronze medal won by the Olympic football team and a gold medal secured by athlete Soufiane El Bakkali, who was received yesterday, Wednesday, by King Mohammed VI at the royal palace in Tetouan, where he was awarded the Throne Medal of the rank of Commander.
