(ATR) Nawal El Moutawakel’s busy month of March will include being honored as part of International Women’s Rights Day.
The Fès-Saïss Association, a non-profit Moroccan NGO, will pay tribute to her on March 10 in Fez. The organization has been a member of the ECOSOC (United Nations' Economic and Social Council) since 1997. Its mission is to contribute to the cultural, economic and social development of the city of Fez and of the surrounding region. Fez is a Moroccan medieval city that was designated a "World Heritage Site" by UNESCO.
The event is an annual ritual by the NGO to celebrate intellectual and political leaders on the occasion of International Women's Rights Day, which is today (March 8).
El Moutawakel became the first female Muslim born on the continent of Africa to become an Olympic champion when she won the inaugural women's 400 meter hurdles event at the 1984 Summer Olympics. She has since played important functions with both the IOC and IAAF.
The Fès-Saïss Association also notes that she strongly supports the candidature of Morocco for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Last week she led her country's delegation at the 42nd Ordinary UEFA Congress in Bratislava, Slovakia, to promote the 2026 World Cup bid.
The visit followed FIFA authorizing the candidate countries to present their dossiers to the different Confederations. The USA-Mexico-Canada trio presented their candidacy file on February 16 at a meeting of the COSAFA (Council of Football Associations in Southern Africa).
On Monday, El Moutawakel opened the first ever Confederation of African Football (CAF) women's football symposium in the Moroccan city of Marrakech. More than 300 eminent personalities from the world of sport and football, as well as internationally renowned national and international speakers and moderators, participated in the event.
"The Symposium will be an opportunity, among other things, to take stock and assess the situation of women in African football and set the path to follow. It is also an opportunity to strengthen the women and football network and encourage the implementation of national and regional projects for women in football," she said.
"This should help to encourage women to defend their causes in football upstream and indirectly to actively defend the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women within the CAF," El Moutawakel said.
Written by Miguel Hernandez
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