Rabat – Moroccan Olympic champion Nawal El Moutawakel has taken on a new leadership role in international sport after her election as Vice President of the Islamic Solidarity Sports Association (ISSA) for Africa and Latin America.
The election took place Saturday during the ISSA’s 15th General Assembly in Taif, Saudi Arabia, where members also renewed Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Faisal Al Saud’s mandate as president.
El Moutawakel will serve for the 2026-2029 term alongside Gennadiy Golovkin of Kazakhstan, who won the vice presidency for Asia and Europe.
The new position adds another chapter to El Moutawakel’s long career in international sports leadership.
She has been part of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) since 1998 and currently serves as one of its vice presidents.
Her work within the Olympic movement has included a previous term as IOC vice president from 2012 to 2016.
She also chaired the IOC Coordination Commission for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, a role that placed her at the center of preparations for one of the world’s largest sporting events.
Long before her work in sports administration, El Moutawakel made history on the track. At the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, she won gold in the 400-meter hurdles, becoming the first Moroccan, Arab, and Muslim woman to win an Olympic gold medal.
Four decades later, her influence extends well beyond athletics. Her latest appointment places a Moroccan figure in a senior position within an organization that brings together sports bodies from across the Islamic world.
The ISSA role also adds to Morocco’s visibility within international sports institutions, while reflecting El Moutawakel’s continued influence across the global sporting movement.