Rabat – Morocco’s National School of Mines of Rabat (ENIM) is hosting the 16th edition of the Olympiads Mines Rabat (OMR) between February 3 and 5, with the aim of highlighting the benefits of sports, including its role in achieving academic, professional, and economic development.
The first day of the event included a conference organized under the theme “Sport: Between Personal Growth and Economic Development.” The opening conference featured several Moroccan sports figures and experts, who shared their personal experiences and insight in regard to the various advantages of sports.
Speaking at the opening conference, Moroccan entrepreneur, influencer, and personal trainer Chouaib Khouili shared his story on how sports helped him become financially independent and develop key skills that enabled him to achieve his professional goals.
Khouili acknowledged the importance of acquiring hard skills through formal education and training. However, he noted that students must not neglect soft skills, highlighting their positive influence on improving one’s career and creating new opportunities.
Moroccan entrepreneur and personal trainer Chouaib Khouili speaking at the conference
The Moroccan entrepreneur, who also works as a football referee, explained that doing sports helped him build his self-confidence, surround himself with good company, as well as create a career for himself in the sports industry.
The Director of the Moroccan National Olympic Committee (CNOM) Hassan Fekkak echoed Khouili’s remarks, noting sports’ fundamental impact in improving one’s confidence and self-esteem, as well as one’s overall soft skills.
“When I do sports and succeed in an event or a competition, I boost my self-confidence, and consequently I develop my self-esteem,” Fekkak told MWN.
The Director of the Moroccan National Olympic Committee (CNOM) Hassan Fekkak
‘The Moroccan Dream is Possible’
Also present at the event was Nasredine Nasri, a consultant at French TV channel Canal+, who encouraged students to look beyond traditional career paths and expand their horizons in terms of job opportunities.
“The Moroccan dream is possible,” he stressed, giving the example of the Moroccan national team’s fairytale journey at the Qatar World Cup. Nasri gave Moroccan students words of encouragement, urging them to pursue their dreams and achieve the impossible.
Consultant at French TV channel Canal+ Nasredine Nasri
Speaking to MWN, Moroccan alpinist Adil Taibi, who was also a speaker at the conference, equally encouraged students to practice sports. He argued that it is “essential for one’s physical and mental health” and could help students manage stress and become more productive.
Taibi is the fifth Moroccan to climb Mount Everest in Nepal. To reach that milestone, he quit his job as an engineer and committed to climbing full-time. Becoming a professional alpinist was the best decision he made, Taibi stressed, saying that he did so to “climb … to live.”
Pursuing a career in mountain climbing brought Taibi immense joy, expanded his horizon, helped him challenge himself, and gave him the opportunity to meet great people from across the world.
Moroccan alpinist Adil Taibi
“Always believe in yourself and you will get there,” he said, also giving the example of the Moroccan national team’s heroics at the Qatar World Cup.
Sports, Parallel Diplomacy
Describing sports as “parallel diplomacy,” he emphasized sports’ role in promoting countries as tourism and investment destinations, as well as giving them global exposure.
Taibi gave the example of Nepal, whose economy is booming thanks to its mountain tourism industry. In this respect, he encouraged Moroccan authorities to follow Nepal’s lead and invest in the country’s mountain tourism potential, which would in turn create job opportunities. Morocco is home to the highest peak in North Africa, Toubkal.
Elmehdi Diouran, a professor at the Royal Institute for the Training of Executives of Youth and Sports
In addition, Elmehdi Diouran, a professor at the Royal Institute for the Training of Executives of Youth and Sports, spoke of the economic benefits sports can bring to a country.
He gave the example of the global exposure that Qatar gained with its hosting of the 2022 World Cup and the positive impact the global tournament has had and is expected to have on the Gulf country’s tourism sector. “Sport is linked to all economic fields,” Diouran stressed.
The second day of the Rabat Mines Olympiad will feature a variety of sports activities and tournaments, including football, gaming, archery, and human foosball, among others. Meanwhile, the third and last day of the event will feature ENIM’s Got Talent, an opportunity for the school’s students to showcase their talents.
