Thus, under the reign of HM King Mohammed VI, sport is no longer considered as a means of entertainment, well-being, or allowing participation in regional, continental and international competitions, but it is now based on construction sites and major development projects. It is, decidedly, one of the pillars of Morocco’s economic and social policy.
Based on this enlightened Vision, the various Royal Initiatives have come to reinforce the Kingdom’s orientation aimed at making sport a priority, even a strategic choice which takes shape through the government program, with a view to highlighting the dimensions of social and economic development of sport, while paying due attention to all issues of interest to it.
This High Royal solicitude also testifies to the Sovereign’s conviction as to the importance of sport as a productive sector and an economic lever, without losing sight of the diplomatic influence that this sector plays in the rapprochement between the Kingdom and other peoples.
In this sense, the Royal Letter addressed to the participants in the National Conference on Sport, held in Skhirate in October 2008, was a major turning point in national policy in the sports field and a roadmap for achieving the objectives initially set.
“Sport is a strong lever for human development, inclusion, social cohesion and the fight against poverty, exclusion and marginalization,” HM the King affirmed in this message, before the 2011 Constitution explicitly confirmed this state of affairs.
In this regard, the New Development Model (NMD), developed by a special Commission on the High Instructions of HM the King, affirms the High Royal concern for sport and youth.
The NMD, which is in line with the far-sighted Vision of HM the King for the promotion of sport, aims to make this sector a lever for human development, inclusion, social cohesion and the fight against exclusion and marginalization.
Referring to the sporting issue, the Commission’s general report indicates that “the paths to socialisation and development, particularly through culture and sport, remain difficult to access”, stressing that “culture and sport have benefited from particular attention at the highest level of the State, which has resulted in the launch of numerous first-rate facilities and marked support for the organisation of events and events of national and international scope”.
The report also highlighted the need to establish an integrated national youth programme, managed at the territorial level and capable of covering all the needs identified among young people: culture and arts, sport and leisure, socio-economic inclusion, civic participation and social assistance, calling in this regard for “establishing an integrated national youth programme, managed in the territories by professional entities under performance contracts”.
Under this heading, sports policy researcher Dr. Moncef El Yazghi specified that “the report on the new development model is intended to be a central framework for serious action towards the establishment of a sports policy capable of correcting all dysfunctions.”
In a statement to MAP, he said that the diagnosis has already been established and that all that remains is the implementation of these recommendations within the framework of a programme that extends over a reasonable period, while being convinced of the relevance of the sports sector, “a real engine of development in a young society”.
The presence of sport in the said report means, if need be, that this sector is no longer considered solely as a factor contributing to education for citizenship and the consolidation of the foundations of living together, but it has proven, through the exploits of the national selections and Moroccan athletes, that it is a determining tool for promoting the values of citizenship and ensuring the international influence of the Kingdom, he assured.
The report of the Special Commission on the Development Model did not stop at a simple diagnosis, but it proposed solutions for the development of the regional sports infrastructure, while highlighting the imperative of giving the necessary importance to the demands of the youth, especially since sport is a means to promote the development of the Kingdom, concluded the researcher.
2024-09-19 09:42:37