14-04-2025
Morocco Reaffirms Commitment to Clean Sport at African Anti-Doping Forum
Rabat – Morocco renews its stance on clean and ethical sports as it hosts the first forum of African National Anti-Doping Organizations (ONADs), a two-day event that brings together experts, officials, and advocates for fair play from across the continent.
Speaking in Rabat at the opening ceremony, Minister of Education Mohammed Saad Berrada described the gathering as more than just a formal exchange. It reflects a clear choice Morocco has made to align sports policy with international standards and to push for a culture of integrity on and off the field, he said.
'This forum stands as proof of our collective resolve to protect fairness in African sport,' Berrada said, pointing to the close cooperation between Morocco's anti-doping agency (AMAD), the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), and its Africa office.
Berrada also referred to a message sent by King Mohammed VI in 2008 during the national sports conference, in which the monarch warned that doping runs counter to Moroccan values, culture, and law. The message remains just as relevant today, he argued.
Since ratifying the UNESCO convention against doping in 2007, and the Council of Europe's agreement in 2013, Morocco has continued to build a legal and institutional framework around anti-doping. But beyond paperwork and policy, Berrada said, the issue touches on something deeper: the moral fabric of sport.
'Doping doesn't just harm athletes' health, it strikes at the heart of what sport should represent: fairness, mutual respect, and the pursuit of excellence,' he explained.
Read also: Morocco Presents Draft Law to Fight Against Doping in Sports
Meanwhile, Fatima Abouali, president of AMAD, described the agency's role as one that goes beyond enforcement. She sees it as a connector, a space where athletes, officials, doctors, universities, and journalists can speak the same language about ethics in sport.
'This forum gives us the chance to hear each other, to understand where we stand, and to move forward together,' Abouali said.
She noted that AMAD has worked steadily since its creation to put strong structures in place, through training sessions, public awareness efforts, and partnerships with key players in the sporting world. The goal, she said, is not just to catch violations but to build a lasting culture of integrity.
For Abdellatif Idmahama, Secretary General of the Moroccan National Olympic Committee, the forum also carries a political and diplomatic weight. He called it an example of South-South cooperation, an idea central to Morocco's foreign policy.
'This is about more than sport. It's about building trust, fairness, and solidarity between nations,' he said.
Panel discussions throughout the forum address several priorities: the role of athletes in shaping clean sport , strategies for continental cooperation, the path ahead for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), and how anti-doping rules will evolve in the years ahead.
For many of the attendees, the forum offers more than just technical updates. It provides a rare opportunity to reflect, connect, and imagine a sporting future where talent, not shortcuts, defines success. Tags: anti dopingclean sportsMorocco anti dopingMorocco sports
