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Nawal El Moutawakel (Arabic: نوال المتوكل) (born on April 15, 1962 in Casablanca) is a Moroccan hurdler, who won the inaugural women's 400 m
hurdles event at the 1984 Summer Olympics, thereby
becoming the first female Muslim born on the continent of Africa to become an Olympic
champion.[1] In
2007, El Moutawakel was named the Minister of Sports in the
upcoming cabinet of Morocco.
Although she had been a quite accomplished runner, the victory
of El Moutawakel, who studied at Iowa State University at the
time, was a surprise. The King of Morocco telephoned El Moutawakel
to give his congratulations, and he declared that all girls born
the day of her victory were to be named in her honor.[2] Her
medal also meant the breakthrough for sporting women in Morocco and
other mostly Muslim countries.
In 1995, El Moutawakel became a council member of the International Amateur Athletic Federation
(IAAF), and in 1998 she became a member of the International Olympic
Committee (IOC).
El Moutawakel is a member of the International Olympic
Committee, and she was the president of evaluation commissions
for the selection of the host city for the 2012 and 2016 Summer Olympic Games.[3]
In 2006, El Moutawakel was one of the eight bearers of the
Olympic flag at the 2006 Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony in Torino,
Italy.
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