Morocco at the 2016 Summer Olympics explained

Noc:MAR
Nocname:Moroccan Olympic Committee
Arabic: اللجنة الأولمبية الوطنية المغربية|links=no
Games:Summer Olympics
Year:2016
Website: 
Location:Rio de Janeiro
Competitors:49
Sports:13
Flagbearer:Abdelkebir Ouaddar (opening)[1]
Wiam Dislam (closing)
Rank:78
Gold:0
Silver:0
Bronze:1
Appearances:auto

Morocco competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 5 to 21 August 2016. This was the nation's fourteenth appearance at the Summer Olympics.

Moroccan Olympic Committee (French: Comité Olympique Marocain) fielded a squad of 49 athletes, 29 men and 20 women, across 13 sports at the Games.[2] It was the nation's largest delegation sent to the Olympics without any participants in team-based sports, but third-largest overall in history. Nearly forty percent of the Moroccan delegation competed in the track and field; there was only a single competitor each in slalom canoeing, equestrian, fencing, golf (new to the 2016 Games), and shooting.

Fifteen athletes on the Moroccan roster competed at the previous Olympics in London, with the rest of the field making their Olympic debut in Rio de Janeiro. Among the nation's athletes were 2012 bronze medalist Abdalaati Iguider in distance running, taekwondo fighter Wiam Dislam (women's +67 kg), Greco-Roman wrestler Zied Ayet Ikram, who competed for Tunisia at the previous Games, and 54-year-old show jumper Abdelkebir Ouaddar, who led his delegation as the oldest competitor and flag bearer in the opening ceremony.[1]

For the second Olympics in a row, Morocco left Rio de Janeiro with only a bronze medal, won by world-ranked pro boxer Mohammed Rabii in the men's welterweight division.[3] [4] Five Moroccan athletes advanced to the finals of their respective sporting events but narrowly missed out of the podium, including Iguider, Dislam, along with her fellow taekwondo teammates Omar Hajjami and Naima Bakkal, and steeplechaser Soufiane Elbakkali.

Athletics (track and field)

See main article: article and Athletics at the 2016 Summer Olympics. Moroccan athletes have so far achieved qualifying standards in the following athletics events (up to a maximum of 3 athletes in each event):[5] [6]

A total of 18 athletes (13 men and 5 women), highlighted by middle-distance runner and London 2012 bronze medalist Abdalaati Iguider, were named as part of Morocco's official team announcement for the Games on July 15, 2016.[7]

Track & road events
  • Men
  • AthleteEventHeat QuarterfinalSemifinalFinal
    ResultRankResultRankResultRankResultRank
    Aziz Ouhadi100 m10.346Did not advance
    Abdelati El Guessealign=left rowspan=2800 mDid not advance
    Mostafa Smaili1:49.292 Q1:45.785Did not advance
    Fouad Elkaamalign=left rowspan=31500 m3:39.516 Q3:40.939Did not advance
    Abdalaati Iguider3:38.403 Q3:40.116 q3:50.585
    Brahim Kaazouzi3:47.396 Q3:48.6613Did not advance
    Soufiyan Bouqantaralign=left rowspan=25000 m13:56.5518Did not advance
    Younès Essalhi13:41.4114Did not advance
    Soufiane Elbakkalialign=left rowspan=33000 m steeplechase8:25.172 Q8:14.354
    Hamid Ezzine8:27.695 q
    Hicham Sigueni8:27.827Did not advance
    Abdelmajid El Hissoufalign=left rowspan=2Marathon2:20:2968
    Rachid Kisri2:21:0073
    Women
    AthleteEventHeat SemifinalFinal
    ResultRankResultRankResultRank
    align=left Malika Akkaouialign=left rowspan=2800 m2:00.524Did not advance
    align=left Rababe ArafiDid not advance
    align=left Malika Akkaouialign=left rowspan=31500 m4:07.425 Q4:08.55 8Did not advance
    align=left Rababe Arafi4:06.634 Q4:05.607 q4:15.1612
    Siham Hilali4:13.469Did not advance
    Hayat Lambarki400 m hurdles1:00.836Did not advance
    Salima Ouali Alamialign=left rowspan=23000 m steeplechase9:44.8310Did not advance
    Fadwa Sidi Madane9:32.9411Did not advance
    Koutar BoulaidMarathon

    Boxing

    See main article: article and Boxing at the 2016 Summer Olympics. Morocco has entered eight boxers to compete in each of the following weight classes into the Olympic boxing tournament. Mohammed Rabii was the only Moroccan to be selected to the Olympic team through the 2015 World Championships, while Achraf Kharroubi and Mohamed Hamout finished among the top two of their respective weight divisions in the World Series of Boxing.[8]

    Mohamed Arjaoui and three women's boxers (Ez-Zahraoui, Lachgar, and El-Mardi) had claimed their Olympic spots at the 2016 African Qualification Tournament in Yaoundé, Cameroon.[9] [10]

    Hassan Saada secured an additional Olympic place on the Moroccan roster as a quarterfinalist losing to the eventual champion Teymur Mammadov of Azerbaijan at the 2016 AIBA World Qualifying Tournament in Baku.

    Men
    AthleteEventRound of 32Round of 16QuarterfinalsSemifinalsFinal
    Opposition
    Result
    Opposition
    Result
    Opposition
    Result
    Opposition
    Result
    Opposition
    Result
    Rank
    Achraf KharroubiFlyweight
    W 3–0

    L 0–3
    Did not advance
    Mohamed HamoutBantamweight
    W 2–0

    L 1–2
    Did not advance
    Mohammed RabiiWelterweight
    W 3–0

    W 2–1

    L 0–3
    Did not advance
    Hassan SaadaLight heavyweight
    L
    Did not advance
    Mohamed ArjaouiSuper heavyweight
    L 0–3
    Did not advance
    Women
    AthleteEventRound of 16QuarterfinalsSemifinalsFinal
    Opposition
    Result
    Opposition
    Result
    Opposition
    Result
    Opposition
    Result
    Rank
    Zohra Ez-ZahraouiFlyweight
    L 0–3
    Did not advance
    Hasnaa LachgarLightweight
    L 0–3
    Did not advance
    Khadija El-MardiMiddleweight
    L 0–3
    Did not advance

    Canoeing

    See main article: article and Canoeing at the 2016 Summer Olympics.

    Slalom

    Morocco has qualified one canoeist in the women's K-1 class by obtaining a top finish at the 2015 African Canoe Slalom Championships in Sagana, Kenya.[11] [12]

    Cycling

    See main article: article and Cycling at the 2016 Summer Olympics.

    Road

    Moroccan riders qualified for a maximum of three quota places in the men's Olympic road race by virtue of their top 4 national ranking in the 2015 UCI Africa Tour.[13]

    AthleteEventTimeRank
    Anass Aït El Abdiaalign=left rowspan=2Men's road race6:30:0547
    Soufiane HaddiDid not finish
    align=left rowspan=2Mouhssine LahsainiMen's road raceDid not finish
    Men's time trial1:25:11.7233

    Equestrian

    See main article: article and Equestrian at the 2016 Summer Olympics. Morocco has entered one jumping rider into the Olympic equestrian competition by virtue of a top national finish from Africa & Middle East in the individual International Federation for Equestrian Sports (FEI) Olympic Rankings.[14]

    Jumping

    Fencing

    See main article: article and Fencing at the 2016 Summer Olympics. Morocco has entered one fencer into the Olympic competition. Youssra Zekrani had claimed her Olympic spot as the sole winner of the women's foil at the African Zonal Qualifier in Algiers, Algeria.

    Golf

    See main article: article and Golf at the 2016 Summer Olympics. Morocco has entered one golfer into the Olympic tournament. Maha Haddioui (world no. 560) qualified directly among the top 60 eligible players for the women's event based on the IGF World Rankings as of 11 July 2016.[15]

    Judo

    See main article: article and Judo at the 2016 Summer Olympics. Morocco has qualified three judokas for each of the following weight classes at the Games. Imad Bassou and Assmaa Niang were ranked among the top 22 eligible judokas for men and top 14 for women in the IJF World Ranking List of May 30, 2016, while London 2012 Olympian Rizlen Zouak at women's half-middleweight (63 kg) earned a continental quota spot from the African region, as the highest-ranked Moroccan judoka outside of direct qualifying position.[16]

    AthleteEventRound of 64Round of 32Round of 16QuarterfinalsSemifinalsRepechageFinal /
    Opposition
    Result
    Opposition
    Result
    Opposition
    Result
    Opposition
    Result
    Opposition
    Result
    Opposition
    Result
    Opposition
    Result
    Rank
    Imad BassouMen's −66 kg
    W 001–000

    L 000–001
    Did not advance
    Rizlen ZouakWomen's −63 kg
    L 000–101
    Did not advance
    Assmaa NiangWomen's −70 kg
    L 000–001
    Did not advance

    Shooting

    See main article: article and Shooting at the 2016 Summer Olympics. Morocco has received an invitation from ISSF to send Mohamed Ramah in the men's double trap to the Olympics, as long as the minimum qualifying score (MQS) was fulfilled by March 31, 2016.[17]

    AthleteEventQualificationSemifinalFinal
    PointsRankPointsRankPointsRank
    align=left rowspan=2Mohamed RamahMen's trap10830Did not advance
    Men's double trap11521Did not advance
    Qualification Legend: Q = Qualify for the next round; q = Qualify for the bronze medal (shotgun)

    Swimming

    See main article: article and Swimming at the 2016 Summer Olympics. Morocco has received a Universality invitation from FINA to send two swimmers (one male and one female) to the Olympics.[18] [19]

    AthleteEventHeatSemifinalFinal
    TimeRankTimeRankTimeRank
    Driss LahrichiMen's 100 m backstroke58.0136Did not advance
    Noura ManaWomen's 50 m freestyle28.2059Did not advance

    Taekwondo

    See main article: article and Taekwondo at the 2016 Summer Olympics. Morocco entered one athlete into the taekwondo competition at the Olympics. Omar Hajjami, Hakima El-Meslahy, and 2012 Olympian Wiam Dislam secured the spots on the Moroccan team respectively in the men's flyweight (58 kg), women's lightweight (57 kg), and women's heavyweight category (+67 kg) by virtue of their top two finish at the 2016 African Qualification Tournament in Agadir.[20]

    AthleteEventRound of 16QuarterfinalsSemifinalsRepechageFinal /
    Opposition
    Result
    Opposition
    Result
    Opposition
    Result
    Opposition
    Result
    Opposition
    Result
    Rank
    Omar HajjamiMen's −58 kg
    W 4–3

    L 1–8
    Did not advance
    L 1–4
    Did not advance7
    Naima BakkalWomen's −57 kg
    L 4–12
    Did not advance
    L 0–12
    Did not advance7
    Wiam DislamWomen's +67 kg
    W 5–1

    L 2–3
    Did not advance
    W 7–5

    L 1–7
    5

    Weightlifting

    See main article: article and Weightlifting at the 2016 Summer Olympics. Morocco has qualified one male weightlifter for the Rio Olympics by virtue of a top five national finish at the 2016 African Championships, signifying the nation's Olympic return to the sport for the first time since 2004.[21] Meanwhile, an unused women's Olympic spot was added to the Moroccan weightlifting team by IWF, as a response to the vacancy of women's quota places in the individual World Rankings and to the "multiple positive cases" of doping on several nations.[22] The team must allocate these places to individual athletes by June 20, 2016.[23]

    AthleteEventSnatchClean & jerkTotalRank
    ResultRankResultRank
    Khalid El-AabidiMen's −85 kg120221652028520
    Samira OuassWomen's –75 kg7514971417214

    Wrestling

    See main article: article and Wrestling at the 2016 Summer Olympics. Morocco has qualified three wrestlers for each of the following weight classes into the Olympic competition, as a result of their semifinal triumphs at the 2016 African & Oceania Qualification Tournament.[24]

    Men's freestyle
    Men's Greco-Roman
    AthleteEventQualificationRound of 16QuarterfinalSemifinalRepechage 1Repechage 2Final /
    Opposition
    Result
    Opposition
    Result
    Opposition
    Result
    Opposition
    Result
    Opposition
    Result
    Opposition
    Result
    Opposition
    Result
    Rank
    Mehdi Messaoudi−59 kg
    L 0–4 ST
    Did not advance17
    Zied Ayet Ikram−75 kg
    L 0–3 PO
    Did not advance19

    See also

    Notes and References

    1. News: Abdelkébir Ouaddar désigné porte-drapeau du Maroc aux JO de Rio de Janeiro . Abdelkebir Ouaddar will be the flag bearer for Morocco at the Rio Olympics . fr . . . 4 July 2016 . 4 July 2016.
    2. News: Abderrahmane . Ichi . Jeux olympiques de Rio de Janeiro: Le Maroc à fond derrière ses athlètes . Rio Olympics: Morocco sends off its athletes . fr . . . 29 July 2016 . 16 October 2016.
    3. News: Rio Olympics: Morocco’s Rabii wins boxing bronze . . 16 August 2016 . 16 October 2016.
    4. News: Rio 2016: le Marocain Rabii en bronze en boxe . Rio 2016: Morocco's Rabii earns a bronze in boxing . fr . Africa Top Sports . 18 August 2016 . 16 October 2016.
    5. Web site: iaaf.org – Top Lists . IAAF . 18 April 2015.
    6. Web site: IAAF Games of the XXX Olympiad – Rio 2016 Entry Standards . . 18 April 2015.
    7. News: JO-2016: 45 sportifs marocains dans 12 disciplines. Voici la liste . 2016 Olympics: Here's the list of 45 Moroccan athletes in 12 sporting disciplines . fr . Médias 24 . 15 July 2016 . 18 July 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160818021020/http://www.medias24.com/MAROC/Quoi-de-neuf/165451-JO-2016-45-sportifs-marocains-dans-12-disciplines.-Voici-la-liste.html . 18 August 2016 . dead.
    8. News: First 60 boxers from 24 countries confirmed for Rio 2016 as early Olympic quota places taken up . . 10 December 2015 . 10 December 2015.
    9. News: Weekend’s finalists confirmed as first boxers from African Olympic qualification event secure quota places for Rio . . 18 March 2016 . 19 March 2016.
    10. News: Morocco take all three women’s quota places and nine nations share the men’s titles on final day of African Olympic Qualification . . 20 March 2016 . 21 March 2016.
    11. News: Le Maroc obtient son ticket pour Rio 2016 . Morocco books its ticket to Rio 2016 . fr . . . 8 November 2015 . 9 November 2015.
    12. News: Three more nations enter the Rio race . . 10 November 2015 . 10 November 2015.
    13. News: UCI announces men's road Olympic quotas . . 18 January 2016 . 20 January 2016.
    14. News: Six nations make Olympic and Paralympic débuts at Rio 2016 equestrian events . . 24 March 2016 . 26 March 2016.
    15. News: Olympic Rankings – Women . . 19 July 2016 . 20 July 2016 . 24 August 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160824190909/http://www.igfgolf.org/olympic-games/qualification-system/ogr-women/ . dead .
    16. News: IJF Officially Announces Qualified Athletes for Rio 2016 Olympic Games . 23 June 2016 . . 24 June 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160707205937/http://www.intjudo.eu/News/cikk3913 . 7 July 2016 . dead . dmy-all.
    17. Web site: Quota Places by Nation and Number . 30 May 2016 . www.issf-sports.org/ . . 30 May 2016.
    18. Web site: Swimming World Rankings . . 14 March 2015.
    19. News: Rio 2016 – FINA Swimming Qualification System . . . . 23 January 2015.
    20. News: Ten countries secure Rio 2016 places at taekwondo African Qualification Tournament . . 8 February 2016 . 8 February 2016 . 10 February 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160210152818/http://www.worldtaekwondofederation.net/the-result-of-the-african-qualification-tournament-2016-for-the-xxxi-olympiad/ . dead .
    21. News: Exciting competitions for the African quota places in Cameroon . 26 May 2016 . . 23 May 2016.
    22. News: Second day of the IWF Executive Board meeting in Tbilisi . 23 June 2016 . . 23 June 2016.
    23. Web site: Rio 2016 Weightlifting – List of Athletes by Bodyweight Category . . 21 July 2016.
    24. News: Wrestling for Rio 2016 . 19 September 2015 . United World Wrestling.