Morocco Secures Two Gold Medals in Regional Boccia Championship

Rabat – Morocco’s paralympic team for Boccia has secured two gold medals, one bronze medal, and two qualifications for the World Boccia Championship in Brazil.

Morocco’s Ambassador to South Africa Youssef Amrani on Sunday applauded the achievements of the Moroccan athletes on Twitter.

“I would like to congratulate our young athletes representing Morocco during the World Boccia Africa Regional Championship that took place in South Africa [from May 16 to 23],” he wrote.

Morocco’s Nadia Ihirri came first in the BC1 women’s category after defeating South Africa’s Seipati Majoe and winning two matches.

Mohammed Bouihlaben also secured the gold medal in the BC1 male category while Nabil Marzouk received the bronze medal for his performance in the BC4 category with two recorded wins.

“A very good honorable record. Congratulations to our champions and good luck to our athletes. Vive le Maroc,” commented the Moroccan Royal Federation of Sports for Persons with Disabilities

Launched in 1984, Boccia is a paralympic sport with no Olympic equivalent. The indoor game was designed specifically for athletes with impaired functional ability in all four limbs.

The athletes throw, kick, or use a ramp to push a ball onto the court with the objective of getting close to a “jack ball.”

Athletes specialized in the game compete under four categories, BC1, BC2, BC3, and BC4 based on their disability.

The first three categories concern players with cerebral palsy, a disorder that affects the balance and mobility of the person.

The categorization goes from athletes able to use their hands and feet to move the ball (BC1) to players able to use their hands and who have “greater functional ability” (BC2) to athletes with dysfunctional limbs (BC3). The third group can use an assistive device during the game.

The last category, BC4, includes players who have locomotor dysfunctions besides cerebral palsy. They have relatively similar functional abilities to BC 2 athletes.

Notably, Moroccan athlete Imad Ouajih ranked 4th in the BC2 male competition after winning one match against South African Brett Dakin. Ouajih’s teammate Yassine Benmasaouda who competed under the BC4 ended up 5th in his category after recording one win in the first round against South Africa’s Bukho Monakali.