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At the conclusion of the Paris Olympic Games, held from July 26 to August 11, 2024, in France, Morocco secured the 60th position globally with one gold and one bronze medal. This outcome fell short of expectations, considering the nation's aspirations for its 19 represented disciplines and 60 participating athletes.
Runner Soufiane El Bakkali successfully defended his Olympic title in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, claiming gold. Meanwhile, the U23 football team clinched bronze, marking their inaugural medal.
However, the President of the Royal Moroccan Boxing Federation (FRMB) expressed dissatisfaction with the overall results, leading to the dismissal of the federation's technical director. This decision followed the defeat of the boxing squad, including world and African champion Khadija El Mardi, who qualified for the 2024 Olympic Games. Sports leaders, such as Hassan Fekkak, Technical Director of the Moroccan National Olympic Committee (CNOM), faced criticism for their optimistic assessments of the results, with former Moroccan athletes among the dissenters.
Nezha Bidouane, a 1997 and 2001 world champion in the 400-meter hurdles and a 2000 Olympic bronze medalist for Morocco, expressed astonishment at the self-congratulatory attitudes of «some people» regarding Morocco's performance in Paris. «We shouldn't solely focus on El Bakkali and the football team while overlooking other sports», emphasized Bidouane, who also heads the Royal Moroccan Federation of Sport for All.
Morocco ranked fourth in North Africa, trailing Algeria (39th globally) with two gold and one bronze, Egypt (52nd) with one gold, one silver, and one bronze, and Tunisia (52nd) with an identical medal tally as Egypt.
This evaluation raises questions about the effectiveness of strategies employed to cultivate Olympic-caliber athletic talent and the management of public funds allocated for this purpose. Finance Acts from 2020 to 2022 reveal a ministerial budget of 2.9 billion dirhams in subsidies for Morocco's 55 sports federations, with 846.13 million dirhams allocated in 2020, 727.19 million dirhams in 2021, and 1.32 billion dirhams in 2022, according to Medias24.
The same source indicates that these federations also receive «aid from the National Sports Development Fund (FNDS), funded by the Moroccan Games and Sports Authority (MDJS) to the tune of 800 million dirhams in 2024, in addition to sponsorship, advertising, and ticketing revenue».
A meager medal haul over the last 20 years
Since the 2004 Olympic Games, Morocco has rarely exceeded a two-medal count, despite fluctuations in the total budget allocated to various federations. The 2004 Athens Olympics yielded two gold medals (Hicham El Guerrouj in the 1,500m and 5,000m) and one silver (Hasna Benhassi in the 800m), placing Morocco 37th globally with 59 athletes across nine sports.
In 2008, Morocco won one silver (Jaouad Gharib in the marathon) and one bronze (Hasna Benhassi in the 800m) in Beijing, securing the 68th global position. The 2012 London Olympics brought a single bronze medal from Abdelaali Iguider (marathon), resulting in a 79th global ranking for the country with 72 athletes competing in 12 disciplines.
The 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics delivered a solitary medal, a bronze by boxer Mohamed Rabii (welterweight), positioning Morocco at 78th worldwide despite 51 athletes participating in 13 sports.
Morocco's return to the top of the podium occurred at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, thanks to Soufiane El Bakkali's gold in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, elevating the country to 63rd with 46 athletes across 18 sports.
Beyond the overall medal count, the 2024 Olympic Games offered memorable moments for Morocco. Soufiane El Bakkali became the first Moroccan athlete to retain an Olympic title consecutively, the U23 national soccer team achieved a historic first Arab football medal, and Soufiane Rahimi emerged as the tournament's top scorer.
