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The African Volleyball Confederation (CAVB) elected on Sunday Morocco’s Bouchra Hajij as president of the Cairo-based body. Hajij will replace Egypt’s Amr El Wani, who has headed the continental organization since 2001.
Hajij, who presides over the Moroccan Royal Volleyball Federation (FRMVB), will serve a four-year term as head of the CAVB, from 2020 to 2024.
During the confederation’s general assembly, held on October 25 via videoconference, Bouchra Hajij earned 42 votes from the 54 member federations. Meanwhile, only 12 national volleyball associations voted for Amr El Wani.
Prior to her election as president of the CAVB, Hajij served as vice-president of the confederation. The organization elected Hajij to the position in December 2015 during a general assembly in Algeria.
The Moroccan volleyball champion is a leading figure in the sport at the national, continental, and international levels.
In August, the executive board of the Association of African National Olympic Committees (ANOCA) appointed Bouchra Hajij as a member of the Olympic parity committee.
A letter from ANOCA commended Hajij for her athletic ability, sports management, and promotion of women in sport.
Read also: Moroccan Bouchra Hajij to Represent Africa on Olympic Committee
The former athlete was determined to pursue a career in sports management from a young age. After achieving her baccalaureate, she earned a diploma in sports management from the Royal Institute for the Training of Youth and Sports Executives.
Hajij also earned a master’s degree in marketing and communication at the prominent ISCAE business school.
Besides her position at the head of the FRMVB and several appointments in international bodies, Bouchra Hajij works at the human resources department of Morocco’s central bank, Bank Al-Maghrib.
Hajij is a strong advocate for women’s leadership and gender equality, especially in the field of sports. In October 2016, she became the first African woman elected as a Board of Administration member for the International Federation of Volleyball.
Bouchra Hajij also recently won a re-election to the International Olympic Committee as a member of the Committee on Culture and Olympic Heritage. Additionally, she chairs the Committee on the Development of Women’s Sport in the Arab World.
Prior to her successful managerial career, Hajij was a volleyball player. She started the sport at the age of eight and played for several local teams, including COD Meknes, FAR Rabat, FUS Rabat, and Credit Agricole Rabat.
From 1984 to 2002, she also represented Morocco on the national volleyball team.
