RABAT, March 16, 2018 - The Moroccan Association of Sports Press (AMPS) organized a ceremony on Wednesday night at the Mohammed V Theater in Rabat during which a vibrant tribute was paid to veterans of the sports press and former athletes who made a mark on the national sports scene.
The celebration of the 8th gathering of sports journalists was an opportunity to honor journalists who influenced the Moroccan sports scene through their quality analysis and criticism. Mohammed Benchrif (former head of the sports department at the Moroccan News Agency), Abdessalam Chaâbaoui (Al Alam Newspaper), Driss Regragui (National Radio, French service), Mohamed Raji (The Opinion) and Mustapha Semlali (photographer) were among those lauded.
Young sports journalists were also honored at the ceremony, including Jihane Jahouri (2M TV) and Youssef Hidaoui (Radio Aswat). The ceremony was punctuated by the presentation of the 2017 Sports Personality of the Year award to Mr. Faouzi Lekjaâ, President of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation, as well as a tribute to Wydad Casablanca, winner of the Champion League of African football in 2017, the Sale Basketball Association (ASS) that won the African Champion Clubs' Cup and Jamal Sellami, the coach who led the national team of local players to a maiden championship title at CHAN 2018, in addition to the Moroccan football team for the blind and visually impaired, as champions of Africa.
This ceremony was also an opportunity to pay tribute to some of the icons of national football, having participated in the Mexico (1970 and 1986), the United States (1994) and France (1998) World Cups, including Said Ghandi , Abderrazak Khairi, Mustapha Haddaoui and Tahar Lakhlej.
The AMPS also honored the athlete Soufiane Bakkali, silver medalist in the 3,000 meter steeplechase at the London World Championships, voted best athlete of 2017, and karateka Sanae Agalmam (kata / -21 years) who won the bronze medal at the 10th world championships and was chosen as the best athlete of the year following a survey by the national radio.
Addressing the audience, the president of AMPS, Badreddine Idrissi, highlighted the progress made by several sports disciplines that have improved their image and achieved sporting excellence.
The qualification of Morocco for the Russia 2018 World Cup, the awards to Wydad, ASS and the national team at CHAN were tangible proof of the extent of the work done in this direction, he said. Idrissi is calling on all sports stakeholders to unite to back up Morocco’s candidacy to organize the 2026 World Cup.
For his part, Mohammed Benchrif, one of the dignitaries honored at this ceremony, said he was "very happy" with this award given by professionals in the sector, emphasizing that it was a tribute to all sports journalists of the country.
It is also a special tribute to all young and veteran MAP sports journalists, especially the late Mustapha El Khaoudy, who laid the groundwork for this service, he concluded.
