Olympic Hero Aouita Debunks Poverty Rumors, Defends Morocco’s Image

In a statement to the Al3omk website, the Olympic champion stated that this information was "unfounded" and specified that he divides his life between the United States and China for professional reasons, working in the field of entrepreneurship.

This clarification comes after the dissemination of a story claiming that the former runner was facing "difficult human conditions", which had aroused a wave of sympathy in Morocco. Saïd Aouita revealed that he had been contacted by "journalists from around the world" following this affair, a situation he considers detrimental not only to his own reputation, but above all to the image of the country.

This is the aspect that seems to concern him the most. "The most serious thing in what has been circulating is that it does not only concern Saïd Aouita, but also the image of Morocco," he insisted. He notably mentioned the calls received from Algerian journalists, underlining the "sensitivity of the relationship with this neighboring country" and stating that he had taken care not to disseminate "anything negative" about his country.

While thinking that the journalist at the origin of the information may have been "the victim of misinformation", Saïd Aouita reproached him "for not having taken the initiative to contact him to verify" it. He interpreted the intention behind the rumor as a way of suggesting that he would have "given everything to Morocco but has not benefited from any counterpart". He announced that he would soon return to Morocco to publicly clarify his situation.