IAAF.org
More than 25,000 women and girls took to the streets of Rabat on Sunday (29) to take part in the 11th edition of the Women’s Race to Victory, an event organised by two-time world 400m hurdles champion Nezha Bidouane.
Hanan Bejaoui of the Khenifra Club won the event for the fourth straight year, which was this year aiming to raise awareness for the Moroccan bid to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
“This is the fourth time in a row that I have won the race, but my participation in the eleventh edition has a special flavor,” Bejaoui said. “I participated today not as a runner, but as a woman to share with the rest of the participants this exciting moment and express our unconditional support for our national cause.”
Organised under the patronage of King Mohammed VI, the focus of the race, as ever, was not on the competition aspect but rather the opportunity to educate women and girls about the importance of sport as a tool for social integration, contributing to the development of women’s sport. Participants ran, walked or alternated between the two, depending on their ability.
Ever since the inaugural Women’s Race to Victory in 2005, thousands of women of all ages have taken part in this race in a festive atmosphere in one of the first gatherings of its kind in Morocco and the Arab-Muslim world.
Mohammed Benchrif for the IAAF
