Exclusive from Marrakech -- Morocco Olympic Dreams; IOC Members Meet 2018 Bids

Morocco Minister Opens Dreams for Olympics

Look for a bid from Morocco for Olympics "in the 20s", a confident Moncef Belkhayat tells Around the Rings, the only Olympic-specialist publication present for the CISA closing ceremony.

Belkhayat, Moroccan minister of youth and sport, spoke to ATR exclusively, minutes after publicly declaring intentions for Casablanca to bid for the 2020, 2024 or 2028 Olympics. His pronouncement came on March 19 at the closing gala for CISA, the African International Sports Convention, was the first time that Belkhayat has publicly espoused a bid from the North Africa country.

But at the closing ceremony for CISA Saturday night, Belkhayat said based on what he had heard at the three-day convention, he was more certain about a bid from Morocco.

"We have many positive developments in Morocco that make it possible for us to bid for the Olympics," Belkhayat told ATR.

In his comments to ATR and his speech to the CISA dinner, Belkhayat was short on details. He said the construction next year of an 80,000 seat stadium in Casablanca would serve as the starting point in preparations for a bid.

But when pressed about other venues needed for the Games, Belkhayat suggested a bid that would be spread across the country.

"We can use venues in Rabat, Tangiers, even Marrakech," he told ATR.

IOC member Hicham El Guerrouj, one of Morocco’s leading sports figures, tells ATR that he is a bit doubtful for the minister’s Olympic aspirations.

"He is dreaming," says El Guerrouj. Belkhayat has served as sports minister since 2009, replacing IOC member and Olympian Nawal El Moutawakel, who is said to have little to do with her successor.

IOC member Sam Ramsamy, who is expected to play a role in a possible 2020 Olympic bid from South America tells ATR he was happy to hear Belkhayat expressinterest in the Olympics.

"It would be good for Africa to have bids from across the continent," Ramsamy tells ATR. He says the emergence of bids for the Games from other African nations besides South Africa means that the Olympics could come to Africa on a regular basis, perhaps opening the way for the IOC to adopt a geographic rotation for Olympic host cities.

With the deadline for cities to apply to bid for 2020 just months away, Belkhayat’s plans for an Olympic bid is likely to be deferred to the 2024 or 2028 Games.

IOC Members Dine With2018 Bids in Marrakech

A group of IOC members dined with leaders from the three bids for the 2018 Winter Games while all were in Marrakech at the CISA event.

The unusual meeting, organized by Morocco IOC member Nawal El Moutawakel, also a member of the ruling IOC Executive Board, supposedly had the imprimatur of Lausanne.

With limited contacts allowed between IOC members and bid cities, the March 18 dinner is a first for the 2018 campaign (and maybe for any other recent Olympic bids). Representatives for the 2018 bids tell ATR that no other such joint meetings have taken place with IOC members so far in this campaign.

But there was no bid talk, no presentations from the Winter Games bidders, all off-limits for what was supposed to be a relaxed gathering among the guests.

IOC members at the dinner included El Moutawakel and Hicham El Guerrouj of Morocco, Sam Ramsamy of South Africa, Patrick Chamunda of Zambia, Dae Sung Moon from South Korea, Claudia Bokel of Germany, Sergey Bubka of Ukraine, Ser Miang Ng of Singapore and International Triathlon Union President Marisol Casasdo of Spain.

Written by Ed Hula.