This article was automatically translated from HIBAPRESS, the Arabic version:
BABA-HIBAPRESS-RABAT
We expected a lot from the so-called international Marrakech Marathon so that it could seduce us and de facto shine the brand image of the Kingdom of Morocco, especially since the city of Marrakech is located at the top of the world tourism podium.
Gold! This Marathon, instead of being beneficial for the country, was rather reduced to a simple national championship where some local marathon runners came to warm up and refine their form on a very chilly Sunday which did not attract the large crowd. expected for such a so-called “international” event
The day before the Marathon, we were told that there had been the presentation of some international champions who would create the atmosphere and give real impetus to the competition which was supposed to be attractive and suspenseful except that on Sunday although the line from the start was filled with so-called first-rate potential with interesting times, the fact remains that just at the start, we no longer found each other because there had been no more international champions in the platoon of the first line except, moreover, the only Kenyan Alfonce Kigen Kibiwott who was going to run alone without any potential rival or valuable competitors, real champions, nothing but a few Moroccan marathon runners sometimes coming out of nowhere since after the first 30 kilometers we no longer knew who was running with whom because there had been so much jostling on the road, no observers or race inspectors or even a certain security line which can guarantee faithful credibility since everyone can come from the 30th kilometer on stage and continue like this to the finish line otherwise where have all these champions presented the day before as being the powers of the Marathon gone? Or have they evaporated? What happened to them so that they were not among the four athletes at the finish and why did none of them make the podium?
This demonstrates both the randomness that plagued this Marathon poorly managed by its organizers and on the other hand what we are going to gain if it is three Moroccans or four or five who arrived in a row behind the Kenyan winner and what will the fact of being present on the podium at a time when if things were really serious, we would have seen Kenyans, Ethiopians, Ugandans, Americans, French, English, Japanese, Mexican or Chilean or any other nationalities pose on the three steps of the podium so that this Marathon really has its international dimension and is broadcast on all TVs and networks around the world and at the same time see the brand image of Marrakech and with it that of Morocco shine globally and thus gain in photo and publicity on the world stage, while today with the only Kenyan and nothing more, the Marathon has completely missed its appointment -you and since this Monday morning no one will hear any more about this Marathon which was only a winner for its organizers who saw it, finally, bring in nearly 15 billion centimes to the city of Marrakech during the three or four days where the participants stayed in town.
Also, this (inter)national Marathon did not satisfy as it should have done if there was real professional work and it is a shame to miss such an important opportunity to better restore the image of Marrakech and the Kingdom of Morocco and not rest on its laurels and say to ourselves “that we organized a Marathon and that’s the end of it”
