Morocco World News
Morocco World News
Fez, August 7,2012
Morocco finally obtained its first and unique medal in London Olympic Games. Abdelaati Iguider ranked third in the final of the 1,500 meters, which took place on Tuesday in London. The Gold Medal went to the Algerian Taoufik Makhloufi, while Leonel Manzano of the United States won the silver medal.
This is by far the worst participation of Morocco in the Olympic Games in recent history. While Moroccans grew accustomed over time to see their track and field athletes raise their country’s flag, this time around they were stunned to see the reputation of their country tainted by a wave of doping scandals. The first scandal was made public just a few days before the start of the Olympic Games, when Moroccan fans learned that Meriem Alaoui Selsouli was tested positive during a dope test. This was just the start of a series of scandals, as Moroccan fans saw their favorites athletes fall one after another, because of doping.
The daily Al Massae reported on Tuesday that Saïd Aouita, a former Moroccan track and field athlete, directed allegations at the Moroccan Federation of Athletics, saying that it somewhat supports doping consumption and fails to fight against it.