Morocco’s Olympic journey began in 1960, just four years after gaining independence from France. After establishing its National Olympic Committee in 1959, Morocco marched into the Olympic stadium in Rome for the first time.
Since then, Moroccan athletes have represented the Kingdom at every Summer Games, except for the 1980 Moscow Olympics, where they joined the American-led boycott, and the 1976 Montreal Games, which they withdrew from after initially sending a delegation.
The 1976 Montreal Olympics, forever etched in sports history as the “Black Year of Montreal,” were marred by a significant boycott. Frustrated by New Zealand’s inclusion in the Games, more than 20 nations refused to participate.
The controversy stemmed from New Zealand’s decision to send its national rugby team on a tour of South Africa, a nation ostracized by the international community due to its abhorrent apartheid regime. This blatant disregard for South Africa’s racist policies sparked a fierce response.
Leading the charge were 22 African nations who chose to withdraw entirely from the competition. The list of boycotters included Algeria, Central Africa, Chad, the People’s Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, The Gambia, Ghana, Guyana, Iraq, Kenya, Libya, Malawi, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Upper Volta, and Zambia.
Morocco, along with Egypt, Cameroon, and Tunisia, initially sent athletes to compete in the 1976 Montreal Games, but later boycotted and withdrew them.
The domino effect continued as Guyana, Taiwan, then known as Chinese Taipei, among others also opted to boycott, bringing the final tally to approximately thirty nations absent from the Games and 700 athletes.
Both former UN Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim and Commonwealth Secretary-General Shridath Ramphal urged back then African countries to reconsider their boycott of the Montreal Olympics, despite acknowledging the validity of concerns raised by Africa and other nations.
The 1980 Moscow Olympics saw the absence of Morocco and several other nations as part of an American-led boycott to protest the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan on December 27, 1979, an action widely condemned by the international community.
The Soviet intervention in Afghanistan sparked prolonged conflict in Central Asia, prompting U.S. President Jimmy Carter to implement a series of measures aimed at pressuring the Soviets to withdraw. Among these measures was the proposed boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics.
Initially, Western governments were hesitant about boycotting the Moscow Olympics. However, the idea gained traction when Russian dissident Andrei Sakharov called for a boycott in early January.
On January 14, 1980, the Carter Administration supported Sakharov by setting a deadline for the Soviet Union to withdraw from Afghanistan or face consequences, including an international boycott of the games.
When the deadline passed a month later without any change in the situation, Carter urged U.S. allies to withdraw their Olympic teams from the upcoming games.
In response, 65 nations, including Morocco, refused to participate in the games, while 80 countries sent athletes to compete.
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