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Rabat – Brazilian athlete Rebeca Andrade earned a gold medal yesterday, August 1, making her the first Brazilian female athlete to win the gold medal in artistic gymnastics, as well as the only Brazilian athlete to claim two medals in the same year.
This event was celebrated with Moroccan athlete Nawal El Moutawakel, an icon for female athletes worldwide, bestowing the Brazilian star her gold medal.
El Moutawakel broke many barriers when she became the first woman of Arab, Muslim, andAfrican origin to win a gold medal in the Olympic Games, in the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles.
This image of a meeting between El Moutawakel and Andrade represents “the links of friendship and cooperation between Brazil and Morocco, through the Olympic lens”, according to a press release issued by the Brazilian Embassy in Rabat.
Additionally, the press release notes that the picture symbolizes the role of athletics in efforts of development, social inclusion, and justice all over the world.
Nawal El Moutawakel was the vice president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and the president of the IOC commission for coordination in the 2016 Rio games, as well as the Moroccan Minister of Sports making her familiar with the Brazilian athletic scene and involved in the Olympics as a whole.
El Moutawakel was decorated with the National Order of the Southern Cross as a gesture of recognition by the Brazilian government. The Order is awarded in Brazil as a sign of gratitude for foreign nationals who have significantly contributed to the country.
