According to a survey recently organised by the sports editorial staff of the regional station of LaĆ¢youne radio in partnership with the regional delegation of the Moroccan Association of Sports Press and the Sahara section of the National Union of the Moroccan Press (SNPM), the regional office of the Maghreb Arabe Presse Agency, and the LaĆ¢youne Press Club, El Bachir Atouif, originally from the Assa-Zag province, winner of the Rabat cross-country and 4th in the Arab school championship of the discipline in Tunis, was elected best athlete of the year in this region, followed by the handball player originally from Smara, Rachid El Hamad (Smara/97 votes) and Yassine Rizki from the city of Boujdour, gold medallist in the Throne Cup for breakdancing.
As for the ladies, Kaltoum Bouasria, who took part in the London 2012 Olympic Games in the 3000m, was elected best athlete ahead of Khadija Moussaoui, who had taken part in the Barcelona 2012 junior world championships, and the footballer Takbar El Baihi.
The technical staff were also honoured; the title of best coach went to Said Jamani, that of best club to the Municipal Women's Football Club of LaĆ¢youne, while Hamdi Ould Rachid, president of this club, was designated best manager. Sidi Mohamed Yara was designated best referee of the year. For the teams, the survey participants selected the Municipal Club, two-time Moroccan champion and finalist of the Throne Cup last year, as the best team.
During this ceremony, a tribute was also paid to Thami Naciri, the doyen of the managers of the Chabab Sakia El Hamra club.
According to Mohamed Maelanien, a journalist at LaĆ¢youne radio, "the goal of this initiative is to encourage athletes from the Southern provinces who have distinguished themselves throughout the year by deploying considerable efforts to impose themselves on the regional, national and international sports scene". He added that through this survey, the media based in the Southern provinces that took part in this initiative are highlighting the status of the sports sector in this region of the Kingdom while calling on local officials to attach more importance to this sector, which is full of talent.
News 04 Jan 2013 2 min read
Southern Provinces: LaĆ¢youne celebrated the best athletes of 2012
According to a journalist at LaĆ¢youne radio, "the goal of this initiative is to encourage athletes from the Southern provinces who have distinguished themselves throughout the year"
