The Maroc is a great athletics nation. It is indeed the sport that has brought the country the most medals and titles in all international competitions. And this has been the case since independence, when the practice of this sport experienced explosive growth. Athletics is also one of the most widely practiced disciplines, with between 400 and 500 clubs and associations throughout the entire kingdom.

The government has recently launched a major action program to raise the profile of Moroccan athletics even higher. On one hand, the country has bid to host the World Cup of the International Association of Athletics Federations in 2014. On the other hand, significant financial efforts are being made both to develop the teaching of this discipline in schools and to modernize stadiums and facilities. Regional training centers will also be built in Khénifra, Benslimane, Al Haouz, and so on, so that athletes can benefit from modern infrastructure throughout the territory. Another ongoing project is the construction of an international athletics academy in Ifrane, designed to welcome the best national and international athletes in an ideal training environment.

Despite disappointing results at the Beijing Olympic Games, Morocco is the birthplace of immense athletics champions. The most famous is undoubtedly Hicham El Guerrouj, two-time Olympic champion and four-time world champion. This middle-distance runner also holds three world records. In late 2010, he was recognized by the International Association of Athletics Federations as the most decorated athlete in the entire history of the discipline at an event held in Monte-Carlo.

Other great Moroccan athletics champions include Lahcen Ahansal, winner of the Marathon des Sables ten times over, Salah Hissou, world champion of the 5,000 m in Seville in 1999, and Jaouad Gharib, an outstanding marathoner and two-time world champion. On the women's side, Halima Hachlaf achieved the best world performance of 2011 at the Diamond league in Oslo. Amine Laalou and Abdelati Iguider (1,500m), Yahya Berrabah (long jump), Hicham Bellani (3,000 m) are also leading athletes who proudly carry the colors of Moroccan athletics.

While national champions shine on the great athletics stadiums of the world, they also excel in competitions organized on Moroccan soil: the marathons of Casablanca, Marrakech, Zagora, and the Sables, among others. Not to mention the great international meeting in Tangier, organized since 1998 on the Marshan stadium.