Fez – Moroccan skiers Abderrahim Kemmissa and Yassine Aouich have qualified for the 24th edition of the Winter Olympics.
Scheduled on February 4-20 in Beijing, China, Morocco’s Royal Federation of Skiing and Mountain Sports (FRMSSM) will be part of the Moroccan delegation at the Olympics, the federation announced in a press release.
Kemmissa clinched a ticket to the upcoming event after earning the required points in cross-country skiing, the sport of skiing over the countryside rather than on downhill runs, typically using long, slender skis and bindings that attach only to the toe of the boot.
Meanwhile, Aouich secured his first-ever participation in the Winter Olympics thanks to the points he obtained in alpine skiing, the sport of sliding down snow-covered on skis with fixed-heels binding.
To secure a place in this world-renowned event, both athletes participated in a significant number of qualifying tournaments under the auspices of the FRMSSM and the International Ski Federation (FIS).
Kemmissa, originally from the Oukaimeden region, participated in several international competitions last year, including the FIS cross-country skiing tournament hosted between November 13 and 15 in Shchuchinsk, Kazakhstan.
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For his part, the Ifrane-born Aouich took part in several competitions last year that concern alpine skiing, most notably the “Ski Dubai” event that took place between November 15 and 21 in the United Arab Emirates.
The 2022 Winter Olympics is a multi-sport event held once every four years for sports practiced on snow and ice. The first Winter Olympic games were held in Chamonix, France and the event continues to draw the best athletes from across the world.
Morocco’s latest participation in this international event was in the 2018 edition held in Pyeonchang, South Korea with two competitors in two different sports.
The Moroccan-Canadian Adam Lamhamedi participated in the alpine skiing sport while the Moroccan-French Samir Azzimani competed in the cross-country sport.
