2024-04-21 16:54:44
Initiated under the High Patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, this 100% female sporting challenge, which takes place around the bay of Dakhla, in a natural environment of high ecological value, brings together this year around fifty teams from different regions. from Morocco, but also from the African continent and Europe, in particular from France which will be represented by 22 teams, thus constituting the largest contingent per country ever mobilized.
In a word of welcome at the start of this reception, marked by the presence of around a hundred eminent Moroccan and French cultural, associative, political and sporting actors, the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Morocco in Paris, Samira Sitaïl, underlined that The Sahraouiya Solidarity Raid is the only competition that was able to be held during the Covid 19 pandemic.
Ms. Sitaïl also returned to the importance of this sporting competition insofar as it brings together participants from different countries and diverse cultures, calling for care to be taken to preserve this diversity and cultural richness, which, according to her, constitute , a “precious good in a tormented world”.
Referring to Franco-Moroccan relations, Ms. Sitaïl welcomed a relationship whose exceptionality must be preserved and to which each and everyone has the opportunity to contribute. “A relationship between two countries, but also between two peoples with multiple identities,” she argued.
For her part, the president of the Lagon Dakhla Association and co-organizer of the Raid, Laila Ouachi, indicated that the Sahraouiya Raid has always carried a real message of solidarity diplomacy, stressing that it has already brought together several thousands of women, coming from different backgrounds to promote the city of Dakhla internationally.
This Raid, she said, is a challenge in which all women can participate, for several reasons, including surpassing oneself, solidarity, social commitment, but also sharing everything they live in terms of cultural diversity.
For her part, Anne-Laure Bonnet, French journalist and former Raid participant, spoke about her experience during this sporting challenge which, according to her, “is within everyone’s reach”. “I managed to do it, it was an extraordinary moment with a lot of sharing,” she said.
According to her, the adventure was made all the more special “thanks to the presence of people who accompanied us throughout the journey”, thus adding a precious human dimension to this “exceptional” experience.
This 100% female sporting event is run in pairs from start to finish for a shared adventure. This raid, life-size in its landscapes but on a human scale for the fifty teams taking the start, is itinerant. This sails between the turquoise waters of the Atlantic Ocean and the golden sand dunes.
The participants compete in different events (Boot camp, canoe, run & bike, trail, orienteering, mountain biking) spread over four days. This sporting challenge is above all a raid of discovery and sharing through unique Moroccan landscapes.
As part of the closing of this tenth edition of the Raid Sahraouiya, the organization plans to hold a charity gala dedicated to fundraising with a view to opening an SOS Village reception house in Dakhla intended to orphans, including children affected by the El Haouz earthquake, which occurred last September.
2024-04-21 16:54:44