Moroccan Cross-Country Skier’s Olympic Dreams Dashed by Quota Shortfall

2 February 2022 – byGinette · 2 min read

Qualified for the first time in his career for the Winter Olympics in Beijing, in cross-country skiing, the Moroccan athlete Abderrahim Kemmissa learns three days before his departure that he will not ultimately participate in the Winter Olympics. There would not be a sufficient quota to allow Morocco’s participation in the cross-country skiing events.

A disappointment for the Moroccan skier who had started the new year with so much promise. In 2021, Abderrahim Kemmissa chained performances in Kazakhstan, Italy, France and Turkey in order to collect the necessary points to qualify for the Beijing Olympics. A first for a Moroccan cross-country skier, reports TV5 Monde.

But the dream pursued for an entire year was brutally shattered. The Royal Moroccan Federation of Skiing and Mountain Sports learned too late that it should have registered at least one of its two cross-country skiers in a world championship organized in Germany in February 2021. The absence of Morocco in this competition prevents it from obtaining a quota so that the two cross-country skiers can compete in the Winter Olympics.

Disappointed, Abderrahim Kemmissa says he could not participate in the championship, even though he was aware of its mandatory nature. For its part, the International Ski Federation (FIS) maintains that its regulations, published in May 2021, stipulated the mandatory nature of the world championships in Germany or Finland. But for the Moroccan skier, the FIS regulations lack clarity. He regrets the implementation of quotas that would only concern "small nations".

The adventure for Abderrahim Kemmissa and Jawad Aidaoui ends before it even begins. Even if the skier is aiming for the 2026 Olympics, he is disappointed not to be able to reap the fruits of his intense months of preparation.