Records of MENA – Page 53 – Arabian Records (1st post : Eid Al Fitr – 01st Shawwal 1439 (AH) / 15th June 2018 ) / (BETA testing – Research

Morocco’s Fathallah Sijilmassi Appointed as First Director General of ‘African Union Commission (AU)’ : October 2021

Fathallah Sijilmassi. Diplomat. Leader

The African Union (AU) selected Fathallah Sijilmassi from a wide panel of high-level candidates to become the first Director General in the history of the AU Commission.

His appointment follows his previous international obligations as Secretary General of the Union for the Mediterranean.

Born in 1966, the Moroccan politician and diplomat holds a PhD in economics from the Grenoble Institute of Political Studies in France.

He occupied different positions within Morocco’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation such as Director of Multilateral Cooperation and Director of European Affairs.

He was appointed as the Moroccan ambassador to France from 2004 to 2008 and upon his return to Morocco, King Mohammed VI named him director of the Moroccan Investment and Trade Agency (AMDIE) in 2009.

Sijilmassi had also been head of the Moroccan mission to the European Union (EU) and was also ambassador of Morocco in charge of the Barcelona Process and the Mediterranean dialogue of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

Fathallah Sijilmassi has been awarded both the French orders ‘Legion of Honor’ and ‘Ordre national du Merite’.

source/content: moroccoworldnews.com

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MOROCCO

Bodybuilding: Egyptian ‘Big Ramy’ claims ‘2021 Mr. Olympia’ Title held in Florida, for 2nd year in row: October 2021

Big Ramy (aka) Mamdouh Mohammed Hassan Elssbiay (aka) Mamdouh ‘Big Ramy’ Elssbiay

For the second year in row Egyptian bodybuilding star Ramy Elssbiay ‘Big Ramy’, has claimed the 2021 Mr. Olympia title that took place in the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida, United States.

The 37-year-old, Big Ramy defeated the 2019 Mr. Olympia champion Brandon Curry of America and Hadi Choopan of Iran to snatch the 2021 title.

Big Ramy made eight appearances in the Mr. Olympia competition as he finished in the runner-up place four years ago.

After winning last year’s title, the Egyptian bodybuilding star became the first non-American to win the title since British champion Dorian Yates in 1997 to prove himself as the best bodybuilder in the world.

The 2021 Mr. Olympia top five:

1. Big Ramy (Egypt) $400,000
2. Brandon Curry (USA) $150,000
3. Hadi Choopan (Iran) $10,000
4. Hunter Labrada (USA) $40,000
5. Nick Walker (USA) $35,000

source/content: english.ahram.org.eg

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EGYPT

Morocco’s El Amin Chentouf Smashes Own Paralympic Record to Win T12 Marathon Gold : Tokyo 2020 : September, 2021

El Amin Chentouf. Athlete. Paralympic Athlete.

Veteran El Amin Chentouf of Morocco defended his title in the T12 marathon for visually impaired athletes, smashing his own Paralympic record by over three minutes to finish in 2:21:43.

The 40-year-old retains his title after finishing more than more than four minutes ahead of silver medallist Clifford.

Further back in the field, Tunisian’s Wajdi Boukhili had been well placed to take the bronze until the 40km mark, where both he and compatriot Hatem Nasrallah slowed up to finish sixth and fourth, respectively. The bronze medal went to Tadashi Horikoshi of Japan.

Chentouf’s gold was the fourth for Morocco during the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, all of which have been won in athletics. Abdeslam Hili and Ayoub Sadni won gold in the men’s 400m in the T12 and T47 classes, respectively, and Zakariae Derhem topped the podium in the men’s shot put F33 class.

source/content : thenationalnews.com

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MOROCCO

Jordan Winner of the ‘ 2021 Arab Women’s Cup’ : September 2021

Jordan claim 2021 Arab Women’s Cup after late 1-0 win over Tunisia.

Jordan beat Tunisia in the final 1-0 to win the 2021 Arab Women’s Cup in Cairo, Egypt, the second edition of the competition that was first held in Alexandria in 2006.

Maysa Jbarah, who had scored twice in the semifinal win over Egypt, once again proved the hero, scoring the winning goal in stoppage time just when it looked like the teams would not be separated.

The Arab Women’s Cup is organised by the Union of Arab Football Associations (UAFA) that covers the Middle East and North Africa.

The 2021 edition saw seven teams compete – Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Sudan and Tunisia.

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JORDAN

UAE’s Osama Al Shafar and Egypt’s Dr. Mohamed Azzam Elected Vice President’s of ‘Union Cycliste Internationale, UCI Belgium’ : September 24th, 2021

Osama Ahmed Abdullah Al Shafar (UAE). Dr Mohamed Wagih Azzam (Egypt).

Osama Al Shafar, President of the Asian Cycling Confederation, Member of the Executive Office of the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCE), has been elected Vice-President of UCI in Leuven, Belgium.

In line with a modification to the UCI Constitution approved earlier in the day by its Congress, the UCI now counts at least one Vice-President of each gender, for a total of four Vice-Presidents-compared with three previously. The Vice-Presidents elected are: -Osama Ahmed Abdullah Al Shafar (UAE), President of the Asian Cycling Confederation.

Dr Mohamed Wagih Azzam / pix: cac-africa.com

–Dr Mohamed Wagih AZZAM (EGY), President of the Confédération Africaine de Cyclisme.

-Katerina NASH (CZE), President of the UCI Athletes’ Commission.

-Enrico DELLA CASA (ITA), President of the Union Européenne de Cyclisme (UEC).

Their term begins immediately and will finish after the 2025 UCI Congress.

Al Shafar -now the first president of the Asian Confederation to hold the position- after a successful sporting career spanning over 20 years.

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UNITED ARAB EMIRATES (U.A.E) / EGYPT

Morocco’s Tangier Med Port – Best Container Port in Africa : September 2021

Morocco is leading the way in Africa since the creation of a major trade hub Tangier Med, according to Lloyd’s List’s ranking of the world’s best 100 ports in 2021.

Tangier Med

The Tangier Med Port is currently ranked 25th worldwide, surpassing other massive ports of the Mediterranean such as the Piraeus Port in Greece, the Port of Valencia and the Port of Algeciras in Spain.

According to Lloyd’s list, the year 2021 is the 4th consecutive year that the Tangier Med Special Agency (TMSA) is on top of the list of ports in Africa. Due to its geographical position, the Moroccan port is widely considered to be the most important link between Africa and Europe.

The international hub went from 4,80 million Twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU) in 2019 to a total of 5,77 million TEU in 2020, recording an exceptional growth of 20,2%. In the first quarter of 2021, it recorded an even greater growth of 35%

Top 5 Ports in Africa:

Tangier Med Port – Morocco
Port Said, Egypt
Port of Durban, South Africa
Port of Lome, Togo, West Africa
Port of Alexandria, Egypt

source/contents: moroccoworldnews.com

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MOROCCO

Exhibition Celebrates Late Calligrapher and Artist Mohammad Bajnaid

Mohammad Salem Bin Abdul Basit Bin Abdul Rahman Bin Junaid Bajnaid (aka) Mohammad Bajnaid – Artist. Calligrapher.

Saudi artist and calligrapher Mohammad Salem Bajnaid contributed to the design and embroidery of the Kiswah — the cloth that is draped over the Kaaba in Makkah on the day that pilgrims leave for Mount Arafat during the Hajj.

Sharbatly House Museum in Historic Jeddah is currently hosting an exhibition celebrating the work of the renowned Saudi artist and calligrapher Mohammad Salem Bajnaid.

The show is part of Saudi Arabia’s Year of Arabic Calligraphy, launched by the Ministry of Culture with the support of the Quality of Life Program

The new exhibition in Jeddah runs until December and features 21 works from throughout Bajnaid’s career, some of which are Quranic verses and prophetic hadiths.

The show is split into four main areas: The Ancient House, Family bonds, Knowledge, and Patience.

It has been curated by the artist’s grandson, Salem Fouzi Bajnaid, who told Arab News: “The credit behind all the efforts in setting up this event goes to (the artist’s) family and friends, in cooperation with the ministry of culture. We’ve witnessed such an amazing response on the first few days, with art admirers from everywhere coming to appreciate the work being displayed here.”

Bajnaid, who died in October 2019, was widely recognized as one of the most talented calligraphers in the Arab and Islamic world. He contributed to the design and embroidery of the Kiswah — the cloth that is draped over the Kaaba in Makkah on the day that pilgrims leave for Mount Arafat during the Hajj — and was also the creator of the Kingdom’s gift to the United Nations for its headquarters in New York in 1982.

website :msalembajnaid.com/

source/content: arabnews.com

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SAUDI ARABIA

Egypt’s Secures 3 Guinness Records Titles in One Go : September 06th, 2021

Egyptian president launches charity caravan that earned 3 Guinness Records titles.

President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi launched Sunday Long Live Egypt Fund’s charity caravan targeted at the most one million low-income families, and that garnered three Guinness Records titles.

Those are the world’s largest food donation, largest medical equipment donation, and largest home appliance donation.

A ceremony dubbed “Charity Doors” was held in the New Administrative Capital on the occasion. Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouli stated that the caravan – prepared in collaboration with civil society – is worth LE650 million.

The prime minister added that the caravan is mainly intended to deliver one million food boxes for the most low-income families benefiting a total of five million citizens. A Long Live Egypt Fund official also noted that the caravan offers 6,298 medical equipment, and home appliances.

The fund has already been providing food boxes, clothes, and medical equipment, and partnered up with Orman Charity Association to build hundreds of houses at 556 rural villages and carry out thousands of cataract surgeries.

Later, President Sisi checked on the components of the world’s largest charity caravan.

Speaking of medical equipment, there are devices measuring insulin level in blood, neonatal intensive care units, laparoscopy devices, and eye survey equipment. There are also medicines and clothes.

As for the food boxes, they contain two kilos of each of sugar and pasta as well as two packs of tea among others.

Further, the president checked the furniture and home appliances used in the furnishing of residential units distributed among low-income families in return for a symbolic monthly rent.

source/content: egypttoday.com

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EGYPT

Ali Mabkhout Surpasses Messi’s Record, as Syria secures point against UAE in World Cup Qualifiers : September 2021

Syria and the UAE played out a 1-1 draw on Match day Two of the AFC Asian Qualifiers – Road to Qatar Group A on Tuesday at the King Abdullah II Stadium here.

Ali Mabkhout opened the Whites’ account at the 12th minute, scoring his 77th international goal, surpassing Argentine legend Lionel Messi and matching Brazil’s Pele’s record as the seventh highest international scorer of all time.

Syria’s Al Baher secured the equaliser at the 64th minute while Mabkhout could have doubled his tally with just 10 minutes to go, but the UAE’s record goal scorer could not direct his header towards the goalmouth.

The result hands the UAE their second point in as many games, while Syria get off the mark. October will see the Whites face Iraq and Iran in the 3rd and 4th round respectively.

source/content: wam.ae

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منتخبنا الوطني يتعادل مع نظيره السوري في تصفيات المونديال — pix: wam.ae

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ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES (U.A.E)

Morocco’s Achraf Hakimi Voted Best Arab Player in Ligue 1 : August 2021

Morocco’s Achraf Hakimi continues his phenomenal career. After making headlines in Italy’s Serie A with Inter Milan, when he won the league.

The Moroccan international player has continued to impress since his arrival at Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) during the last summer transfer window.

Achraf Hakimi was named the best Arab player in the French Ligue 1 Uber Eats for the month of August.

The 22-year-old received the award following his outstanding performance wearing PSG’s jersey throughout the matches of last month. The fans were particularly taken by his pace and the great chemistry he has while playing alongside Kylian Mbappe.

In a fan poll sponsored by the official account of Ligue 1 on Facebook, the Moroccan international player ranked first after getting the majority of the votes ahead of his compatriot and Angers SCO midfielder Sofiane Boufal and Algeria’s Andy Delort.

This award comes days after the Moroccan Professional Footballers Union (UMFP) awarded Achraf Hakimi the trophy for the Best Moroccan Player in Foreign Leagues for the 2020-2021 season.

As part of its plans to clinch the Champions League title, PSG paid €71 million (add-ons included) to sign the versatile right-back, making him the most expensive defender in the club’s history.

After an impressive journey with Inter Milan, the football player has his sights set on other big challenges with PSG.

source/contents: moroccoworldnews.com

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MOROCCO