The president of the Royal Moroccan Federation of Ski and Mountain Sports (FRMSSM), Hicham Ait Ouarchikh, was elected, Wednesday in Dakhla, president of the African Confederation of Ski and Slide Sports (CAS/SG).
The election of Ait Ouarchikh was made in the context of the work of the first congress of the African Confederation of skiing and board sports, organized under the theme “Sport for development and peace.
It was also proceeded to the election of the members of the steering committee of the CAS/SG, namely the Sudanese Fathelerman Osman Awad (1st vice-president), the Rwandan Cless Jean-Marie (2nd vice-president), the Togolese Hyacinthe Edorh (general secretary) and the Moroccan Nourddine Bouchaal (general treasurer).
Ait Ouarchikh stressed that the organization of this first congress of the African Confederation of Skiing and Snowboarding comes after a series of consultations and preparatory meetings, the latest of which was held in Marrakech in 2019 where the choice was made on the city of Dakhla to host the permanent headquarters of the CAS / SG.
He added, in a statement to the press, that the choice of Dakhla to host the headquarters of this African confederation illustrates the significant geographical potential of this city and its region, conducive to the practice of board sports.
This choice also enshrines the concern given by King Mohammed VI to the consolidation of South-South cooperation, noted Ait Ouarchikh, adding that it is also an initiative in the service of parallel diplomacy, in defense of the first national cause.
He said that this decision taken at this first congress, which included the participation of representatives of 12 English-speaking and French-speaking African countries, is a first for the southern provinces of the Kingdom.
Ait Ouarchikh stressed that the creation of the African Confederation of Skiing and Snowboarding is an important milestone in the process of development of these sports at the African and international levels, noting that the Winter Olympics, scheduled to take place in Beijing in 2022, will see the participation, for the first time, of 5 African countries
For his part, the Secretary General of CAS/SG, Hyacinthe Edorh, said he was delighted to be in Morocco, saying that this conference is an opportunity to express his gratitude to HM King Mohammed VI for his efforts to consolidate the development of Africa.
He noted the need to seize the opportunity offered by this meeting to promote these sports practices in all countries of the continent.
Edorh noted that this conclave organized in Dakhla illustrates, moreover, the dynamics of the sports policy which the Sovereign has laid the foundations on at the African level.
The Treasurer General of the CAS/SG, Nourddine Bouchaal, welcomed the initiatives that led to the organization of this first congress in Morocco, the first African country in terms of ski resorts and aspires to become an African platform for the development of this sport and those of gliding.
He stated that the African confederation intends to organize a series of sporting events in Africa, including Dakhla, and which will see the participation of several African countries.
The program of this 1st congress, organized with the support of the Council of the Dakhla-Oued Eddahab region, includes meetings of the commission of laws and regulations of the CAS/SG, the organizing committee and standing committees of this body.
In addition, a presentation was made by a delegation of the International Ski Federation on the construction project in Dakhla of a sports stadium “Icederby” which will be the first of its kind in Africa, the objective being that it hosts the competitions of the world championship “Ice Morocco 2022”.
