Moroccan Diaspora Athletes Shine Across Global Sports, Boosting National Pride

Football, handball, judo, fencing, triathlon and canoeing, Moroccan athletes from immigration are omnipresent. Their story has been written since 1930. Many of them choose the Moroccan selections rather than those of their country of birth.

In the young generation of Moroccan athletes from the diaspora, Hakim Ziyech, the current star of the Atlas Lions, is prominently featured. This international player is a gem who defends the colors of the Kingdom abroad. Before Ziyech, there was Mustapha Hadji, African Ballon d’Or 1998, Marouane Chamakh, Houcine Kharja, Abdeslam Ouaddou, Youssef Hadji, Youssef Moukhtari, recalls Le Matin.

In the world of boxing, many of them raise high the Moroccan flag. Zakaria Tijarti was recently crowned World Champion "Muay-thaï", of the World Muay-thaï association (WMTA), in the under 66 kg category, after beating the Frenchman, Youcef Mustapha, alias Totof. This Moroccan athlete also has a brother named Fikri who was a former world champion. Both live in the Netherlands like Badr Hari, World Kickboxing Champion, in 2014.

Moroccans also shine through professionalism in other sports disciplines. They represent the strength and pride of the Kingdom, which counts on them to defend the Moroccan colors in intercontinental or even global competitions.