From the time she was five years old, Naoual Zaaraoui accompanied her father to the track, determined to learn his every move. Known simply as El Ghazi, or “The Fast Horse” in Morocco, he ran the 3000 meter steeplechase in the 1964 Olympics, is a 7-time world champion and a sports icon who accomplished many firsts for his country. Naoual had never been the kind of girl that played with dolls, preferring to play soccer or do gymnastics, always coming home disheveled in the process. “My mom never punished me.” She would say: “Every time you bring home dirty clothes, it shows me you will follow your dad into sports.” Someday, her mother said, she wanted to see Naoual as Sports Minister.
The support that Naoual received from her mother and father to pursue her passion for sports is more the exception than the rule in Morocco. While urban Morocco is generally considered “modern” by international standards, society has actually seen an increase in conservatism and a rise in Islamic fundamentalism in the last 30 years. Though a 2011 push expanded women’s rights and enshrined gender equality in the constitution, increasing access to sports for some women, public space is still regarded as the territory of men, and Moroccan women face harassment from strangers outside of their homes and out-of-doors. Gender-based violence is also a problem, with a 2010 national survey revealing that 63% of Moroccan women between the ages of 18 and 65 have experienced physical, psychological, sexual or economic violence in their lives. In 2015, the World Economic Forum Global Gender Gap Report assessing women’s power and influence using political, educational, health and economic indicators ranked Morocco 139th out of the 145 countries surveyed. According to a 2017 study by the International Monetary Fund, only 25% of Morocco’s women are working outside the home, and in rural areas, more than three-quarters of girls ages 12 to 14 are not in school.
And while there are women out there “running with traditional clothes just because they love sport,” many opt not to practice sports or exercise in public, where they can be seen by men. Naoual also believes that the women of her generation regard sports not as an outlet or a way to build skill and confidence but rather a way to stay fit. “In Morocco, women only see sports as a way to make themselves beautiful,” she says. “I believe sport is a gift that empowers you to sprint toward your dreams, and I want to prove that women can participate in sports everywhere and anytime they want.”
Naoual spent her school years competing in athletics, eventually settling on the long jump as her particular event. In 2010, she badly injured her knee and was forced to give up her dreams in competitive sports. But she was not deterred, and became determined to have a career in sports. She finished her diploma in sports training from the Royal Institute of Sports and in 2016, she completed her Master’s Degree in Sports Management and Governance at Casablanca’s National School of Commerce and Management. She also did an internship at the University of Leipzig, which led to being named Moroccan Sports Ambassador for the famed International Trainer Course (ITK). In 2016, Naoual also began working for an NGO that encourages youth development through basketball, and became a Nike brand ambassador. Then, Morocco’s Ministry of Sports brought her on as a track and field coach with the Royal Moroccan Athletics Federation.
In 2017, Naoual was nominated to take part in the Global Sports Mentoring Program (GSMP). She traveled to Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, to the world’s largest sports organization, the Professional Golfers’ Association of America (PGA). There, she was taken under the wings of Laurie French, the PGA’s Director of Technology Operations, and Jenna Tidd, Section Business Operations Coordinator. To help Naoual in her quest to inspire a better future for Moroccan women, Laurie and Jenna mentored her in organizational leadership, sports marketing and communications. They also talked a lot about taking large ideas and cutting them down into smaller pieces and developing long-term solutions. “It was one of my dreams to be part of an international program like this one and have the opportunity to represent my country beside more than 20 other countries,” says Naoual. “It’s a dream come true.”