Special Olympics Morocco athlete Imane Bouissane and her teammates are participating in their first World Winter Games in floorball, a sport they’ve only learned in the past two years. While floorball is new to them, competing together on the world stage is not; four of the eight players met when competing on the same basketball team at the Special Olympics World Games Berlin 2023.
Through competing in Berlin, where the team earned an impressive 4th place finish, the athletes built an enduring friendship and decided to continue as a team to participate in a new sport together at the World Games.
For Imane and her teammates, this friendship is the most important part of their World Winter Games experience. Imane shared, “We are very proud to be here to hold each other as friends. Friendship is number one and competition is number two.”
It is this same friendship that has been a driving force through the challenges of learning and training for a new sport. Imane shared that when she first started, the learning curve of switching from basketball to floorball was steep: “In the beginning, it was very difficult. I used to cry and be very discouraged. Without the support of my team and coaches who pushed us, we wouldn’t be here. We learned this new sport together, and it was a new experience for all of us.”
While Imane credits her teammates and coaches for getting her to Turin, it is clear that her leadership is also a key pillar of the team’s success. Off the court, Imane is a member of the Special Olympics Middle East/North Africa (MENA) Regional Athlete Leadership Council (RALC). RALC is composed of promising athlete leaders who serve a three-year term in which they are empowered to implement leadership skills such as team building, problem-solving, perseverance, collaboration, and trust. The 2024 – 2027 RALC cohort also focuses on empowering women in sport and leadership, and 50% of the MENA RALC members are women.
On and off the court, Imane’s leadership and the camaraderie shared within the team is palpable. With friendship at the heart of their team strategy, Morocco is excited to head into the finals for their first floorball competition at the World Games.
Win or lose, Imane and her teammates are dedicated to continuing to challenge themselves with new sports together. Next on their list – they haven’t decided yet, but maybe football.
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