Morocco’s Optimist sailing team made a strong impression at the 2025 African Championship, held from August 2 to 9 in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The event brought together a highly competitive field, producing close and hard-fought races.
Led by delegation head Mohamed Reda El Fardaoussi and coach Saïd Machrouhi, Morocco was represented by five young sailors: Oiam Eddouaoui, Sami Hassani, Akram Dadi, Yassine El Wafi, and Hatem Chaïri.
In the individual competition, Oiam Eddouaoui delivered a standout performance, taking the silver medal in the African women’s category after a consistent series of races.
The highlight came in the team event, where Morocco dominated the fleet to claim the 2025 continental title, ending Angola’s five-year reign at the top. This time, Angola settled for second place.
The victory reflects the efforts of Morocco’s new sailing federation leadership, which has been stepping up initiatives to raise the level of its young athletes. Over the past year, the Optimist squad has competed at the 2025 World Championship in Portorož, Slovenia, as well as in international regattas in Dalia, M’diq, and Agadir. They have also undergone intensive training camps led by national coach Saïd Machrouhi and technical director Mohamed Waddad.
Attention now turns to two major dates on the calendar: the 2026 World Championship in Tangier from June 18 to 28, and the 2026 African Championship in Libya in August, where Morocco will aim to defend its team crown and go for the individual title.
