The president of the Moroccan Federation of Sports Professionals (FMPS), Mehdi Sekkouri Alaoui, called for a debate involving all players in the sports industry with a view to defining a real recovery plan.
“A debate should be launched with the new government in order to set up a real recovery plan for the entire sports industry, which has an important role to play in economic, social and health terms as well”, said Mehdi Sekkouri Alaoui.
The sports industry has been particularly affected by the pandemic at the level of all the sectors that make it up, underlined the president of the FMPS. “Sports events have never resumed, sports halls have closed and infrastructure investments have never been so low,” he lamented.
According to a study carried out last March by STADIA and Sports Management School, activity fell by 64%, said Mehdi Sekkouri Alaoui, noting, however, that this health crisis was the element trigger for a large number of entrepreneurs who have launched start-ups specializing in sport.
He also deplored the decision of August 2 relating to the closure of sports halls in order to limit the spread of Covid-19, noting in this sense that several international studies show that it is not more dangerous to go in a gym than in a cafe or shopping mall.
“Without forgetting that since the reopening of the sports halls, no cluster has been registered there”, he maintained.
“Before this announcement, already very weakened fitness professionals hoped for a revival of their activity. Many of them have even reinvested in their respective theaters, ”said Mehdi Sekkouri Alaoui, adding that this government decision put the entire profession in a“ very complicated ”situation.
“This re-closure has seriously impacted customers’ confidence in their gyms,” he regrets. In this sense, he called for the urgent opening of sports halls with the use of the health pass to access them, as is already done in Europe.
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