HIBAPRESS
Participants in a scientific conference, held on Wednesday at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Kenitra, on the topic "Moroccan Sport: Intersections of History, Humanities and Social Sciences," emphasized the need to write the history of sports in Morocco, which requires adopting a solid scientific methodology.
The speakers during this conference, which was organized by the Laboratory of History, Heritage, Society, and Development, in coordination with the Department of History and Civilization and the Doctoral Studies Center in Arts, Humanities, and Educational Sciences, explained that sports have a significant place within Moroccan society and are part of the collective memory of Moroccans, pointing to stations in the history of sports games that have been practiced in Morocco from ancient times until now. They stressed that the history of sports should be objective and rely on reliable sources and theoretical and field research, while studying the transformations that have occurred throughout history, especially in some sports that enjoy public popularity and societal interest. They highlighted that if the historical development of sports in the Mediterranean world has been linked to material conditions and social transformations, Morocco was not far from that, as rock inscriptions and آثار reveal the existence of physical practices and influence of what prevailed in ancient civilizations, noting that the arrival of Islamic civilization in Morocco contributed to the emergence of new sports related to equestrianism and forms of entertainment, celebration and recreation. They mentioned in this regard that during the Almohad era, sports were integrated into education, and forms of foot races, mental games appeared, and games spread on Thursdays and Fridays, as well as spring outings and during the seasons, and these practices became ingrained in the social structure between different generations and social groups, and between the city and the countryside, and between rulers and the ruled throughout the centuries. They added that sports "reflect human culture and his view of physical and mental practices and the nature of human relations, as societies, since ancient times, have needed to organize sports gatherings, whether for the purposes of military training or celebrating the gods or to achieve educational goals or for entertainment and recreation, and the Olympic values based on excellence, friendship and respect, are inherited human values that ignite their flames in these games since about 2800 years, which is confirmed by written texts and archaeological landmarks in the various regions that witnessed the flourishing of Greek-Roman civilization". The conference, which was attended by university professors and researchers in the field of historical and social studies, included the organization of three sessions that discussed axes concerning "Moroccan Sport: A Historical Vision" and "The Dialectic of Sport, Politics, Economics and Society", and "Sociological Approaches to Moroccan Sport".
