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Marrakech – The Royal Moroccan Boxing Federation (FRMB) has dismissed its entire technical staff, including National Technical Director Othmane Fadli, following the national team’s disappointing performance at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
In an official statement, the FRMB announced that Federation President Abdeljaouad Belhaj convened an emergency meeting immediately after the Moroccan delegation returned from France. The meeting took place on Friday at the federation headquarters in Rabat.
The meeting, attended by members of the management office and regional league presidents, resulted in crucial decisions for the future of Moroccan boxing.
The elimination of the male Moroccan boxers from the Olympic competition, combined with the unsatisfactory results obtained by the female boxers in Paris, prompted the Federation to dissolve the technical management team led by Othmane Fadli.
This decision comes on the heels of several previous disappointments, including the men’s failure to qualify at the 2023 African Championships in Dakar, Senegal, and the 2024 World Championships in Italy and Thailand.
Furthermore, the federation announced the formation of a provisional national commission to oversee the national teams across all categories. It also launched an international call for applications to fill the position of National Technical Director.
These measures aim to overhaul Moroccan boxing in preparation for the 2028 Olympic Games in the United States as well as other major regional and international competitions.
The FRMB’s decision comes amidst broader disappointment with Morocco’s overall performance at the Paris Olympics.
In a recent interview with Morocco World News (MWN), sports policy specialist Moncef El Yazghi highlighted the lack of a comprehensive sports strategy in the country.
“In Morocco’s 60th participation, it is known that, in the best scenarios, Morocco will not exceed 2 to 3 medals unless there is a surprise and it could be even less,” El Yazghi told MWN.
He noted that Morocco still relies heavily on specific sports, particularly football, at the expense of developing other disciplines.
El Yazghi also criticized the inadequate resources allocated to many sports federations in Morocco. “Some federations operate with such small budgets that it is almost embarrassing to mention,” he said, attributing weak participation and preparations to this issue.
Despite the challenges, Morocco did contribute to African and Arab success at the Paris Games. The men’s football team secured a historic bronze medal, while Soufiane El Bakkali brought home gold in the 3000m steeplechase.
