Interview with Moroccan skier Samir Azzimani

31/08/2005

For Samir Azzimani, passion is not constrained by age. Dreams and hope are enough for success. He has been dreaming about skiing for more than 16 years. The third member of the Moroccan ski team spoke with Magharebia.com about his disappointments and successes, but mostly about hope.

[File] Azzimani hopes to make an impression at 2006 Olympics in Turin

Magharebia: When did you start showing a passion for skiing?

Samir Azzimani: For family reasons, I was attending a boarding school when I was younger and had the opportunity to go to a holiday camp in Chapelle d'Abondance in the French Alps. That is where my passion for skiing was born. I was only six-years-old at the time. At the age of eight or nine, the ESF (French Ski School) asked me to take part in some competitions. Unfortunately, lacking financial means and with the refusal of my father, I could not go.

But I never give up easily. I was 12 or 13 years old at the time of the Winter Olympics in 1992 and I saw a Moroccan rushing down the slopes in Albertville. I remember having told myself "I can do better!" This is where my dream started to emerge in some corner of my mind. I wanted to take part in the Olympics.

Magharebia: How do international competitors regard you? Are they surprised to have a Moroccan challenger?

Azzimani: Most Western competitors are rather curious about me. They ask questions about Morocco, like "Where can you practice in Morocco?" or "Is there any snow there?" or "How many skiers are there on the team?" and so on. They also want to know more about my culture.

Some of them are very friendly and kind such as the French, Swiss, Australians, Lebanese, Turks, even the Israelis. On the opposite, Austrians are fairly unfriendly.

Magharebia: Do you think it will be harder for the Moroccan ski team to participate in international events now that the International Ski Federation and the Olympic International Committee require a minimum skill level for high-level events?

Azzimani: Well, within our national team, the general attitude is of the "every man for himself" type.

Sarah Ben Mansour is lucky to have her family for support, namely her father, who commits himself a lot. The rest of us, including me, try to survive with the help of friends and other people.

[File] Azzimani hopes skiing will become more popular in Morocco

In short, we really have a hard time, since the Moroccan Ski Federation does not pay attention to us.

As to the quotas imposed by the Olympic International Committee, I deem it fairly discriminatory. Minor ski nations such as Morocco will be the first to suffer from such a decision. Knowing that all matters are decided by major nations and that small teams will be the main victims, I wonder whether the Winter Olympics should keep the same name. I would rather talk about a "Super World Ski Cup". Why is it so difficult for minor ski nations such as Senegal, Ghana, India, Pakistan, and Algeria to participate?

Magharebia: What would you like to achieve at the 2006 Olympics in Turin?

Azzimani: I would love to be a worthy competitor for Morocco. After the disappointments of the Moroccan team during the Albertville Olympics, we will at last have an opportunity to prove that we are up to the competition. And who knows? Maybe we could give birth to a national event.