:00:15. > :00:22.Now it is time for the sport news. Today, an Olympic gold medallist, a
:00:22. > :00:26.campaigner for women in sport and maybe even the first ever female
:00:26. > :00:36.president of the International Olympic Committee. We are close to
:00:36. > :00:40.
:00:40. > :00:50.the headquarters now. And next guest -- our next guest was
:00:50. > :01:10.
:01:10. > :01:16.involved in a turning point for Welcome to this special edition.
:01:16. > :01:22.Your gold medal at the LA Olympics was a triumph. Let me take you back
:01:23. > :01:30.to the very beginning. In your love of sport and athletics, when did
:01:30. > :01:38.you first recognise your talent? was a young teenager in Casablanca,
:01:38. > :01:45.Morocco. I was born in a family of five brothers and sisters. My
:01:45. > :01:50.father loved a judo and my mother played volleyball. Until very
:01:50. > :01:59.accomplished. They like the sports. They encouraged us to police board.
:01:59. > :02:05.Abbas energetic and dynamic. -- and to police board. I was energetic. I
:02:05. > :02:15.used to compete with my brothers. This is how the love of sport came
:02:15. > :02:19.to me. I was taken to a stadium in Casablanca. From that moment, I
:02:19. > :02:29.understood that sport was meant for me and I was meant for sport.
:02:29. > :02:31.
:02:31. > :02:35.father gave you every encouragement. The woman did not police poured in
:02:35. > :02:40.your country. This would have been unusual for your father. He must
:02:40. > :02:45.have had an unusual attitude towards sport. He was very open-
:02:46. > :02:49.minded. He worked in a bank. My mother also worked in a bank. Both
:02:50. > :02:56.of them wanted to raise their children with the real value of
:02:56. > :03:06.sports. Honesty, friendship, love and determination. Sport key issue
:03:06. > :03:12.passion. It can help you in your life. Dashboard gives you passion.
:03:12. > :03:17.Me and my mother would speak openly about anything. For my father, it
:03:17. > :03:26.was a master of his daughters would play sport at the same level. -- it
:03:26. > :03:31.was a must that. Choosing the hurdles, for me it was the school
:03:31. > :03:37.of life. It gathers all kind of qualities from start to finish.
:03:37. > :03:45.do they say that? For the 400 -- before the 400 metre hurdles, I
:03:45. > :03:50.tried the shot putt, the triathlon, throwing event, a jumping event and
:03:50. > :03:56.the sprint event. I tried almost everything including cross country.
:03:56. > :04:06.It hired the out. I chose the 400 hurdles because of my coach. At
:04:06. > :04:11.that time, and the 70s, early 80s, it was an event for men. Five were
:04:11. > :04:18.women excluded from the 400 metre hurdles? Why was it not an Olympic
:04:18. > :04:24.event in the programme? My coach pushed me to do it. I went with a
:04:24. > :04:33.lot of resistance. I thought I was too tall. You are not very tall for
:04:34. > :04:39.hurdler. I am 5 ft 1. I wanted to run against the East Germans and
:04:39. > :04:49.the Australians. I am from an African -- and Arab, Muslim country.
:04:49. > :04:57.
:04:57. > :05:06.People would think there are a lot of barriers and cabbages. Tell us
:05:06. > :05:11.about what change your life? Although I did not not get a
:05:11. > :05:21.scholarship, I ended my high-school degree in Morocco. I flew to I was
:05:21. > :05:24.
:05:24. > :05:29.State University. It was the longest trip of my life. My father
:05:29. > :05:36.put me on the plane to fly from Casablanca to Chicago and drive to
:05:36. > :05:41.I Will. The you had no hesitation? For him, it was a bit difficult. It
:05:41. > :05:45.was the first time he would leave his daughter. It was an unknown
:05:45. > :05:52.adventure. He has never been in the United States. I did not speak
:05:52. > :06:02.English. I spoke a few words in English. I landed in the United
:06:02. > :06:03.
:06:03. > :06:07.States. I was not used to the cold. My father put me on the plane and
:06:07. > :06:12.seven days later he passed away. He was the man who really believed in
:06:12. > :06:19.his daughter's capacity to go far. He was not there to see his team
:06:19. > :06:26.being fulfilled. I used it as a way to motivate myself. -- dream. Every
:06:26. > :06:33.day I would think of my father. "I have to win, I must win. I am
:06:33. > :06:36.number one. I have to win for my father." Your father was killed in
:06:36. > :06:43.a car crash. This was an inspiration for you. The memory of
:06:43. > :06:48.your father. Very much so. He allowed his daughter to go out in
:06:48. > :06:53.the streets and run. Go out in the stadiums and run. Have her passport
:06:53. > :06:59.and run round the planet. It was not easy. Not to see him with me,
:06:59. > :07:04.it was a tragic moment. I cried and I tried endlessly during the Games.
:07:04. > :07:14.I was crying with joy. I was representing Muslim women and
:07:14. > :07:14.
:07:14. > :07:21.feeling the joy of competing. He was not there with me to share my
:07:21. > :07:26.story. That made me cry. You met the King in Morocco. King Hassan
:07:26. > :07:35.the second. You said you would bring back a gold medal. And before
:07:35. > :07:42.we left to the United States for the Olympic Games in Los Angeles,
:07:42. > :07:46.he hosted as in the palace in Casablanca. I was the only female.
:07:46. > :07:53.I was dressed in red. All of the men were dressed in fight or beige.
:07:53. > :07:58.He could seamy at the back -- he could see me at the back of the
:07:59. > :08:05.them in the Palace. He said "I am sure one of you, male or female,
:08:05. > :08:11.will bring a gold." It seemed as if he was looking at me and thinking I
:08:11. > :08:15.would bring the gold. I think he trusted I would bring it. When I
:08:15. > :08:21.flew to Los Angeles, the entire team asked me if I heard the
:08:21. > :08:27.message. How could I miss it? It was a lot of pressure put on me. It
:08:28. > :08:36.was my day, my year, my Olympics in Los Angeles. When I finish, when I
:08:36. > :08:41.crossed the finish line, he called me into the stadium. He spoke with
:08:41. > :08:51.me and encouraged and congratulated me. He did it on behalf of millions
:08:51. > :08:52.
:08:52. > :08:56.of Moroccans. I was doing my victory lap. He told me that -- I
:08:56. > :09:04.wondered if Moroccans were watching me, if they were aware of my
:09:04. > :09:11.victory. He insisted, didn't he, that every girl born on that they
:09:11. > :09:19.should be named after you. Yes. Plenty of girls today and named
:09:19. > :09:28.after me. I think it is a beautiful story. I think there was a special
:09:28. > :09:37.documentary made by an American who came to Casablanca. He did an
:09:37. > :09:43.announcement on the radio. All of the girl was born on that day, they
:09:43. > :09:48.would all come to the US consulate and Casablanca. I was shocked to
:09:48. > :09:58.see the huge number of people named after me that were born that day.
:09:58. > :09:59.
:09:59. > :10:05.Then I realised that it was a beautiful story. Many people
:10:05. > :10:12.telling me great memories. Great memories. It was a great time. 54.6
:10:12. > :10:21.seconds. How do you remember the race?
:10:21. > :10:31.Is it dabbler? The 54 seconds, it changed my life. -- Is it back
:10:31. > :10:32.
:10:32. > :10:37.blah? It changed the life of me and many young women. On when I write
:10:37. > :10:43.about, this is the title libel use. 54 seconds. You have not written a
:10:43. > :10:49.book yet? In terms of the race itself, you were racing against an
:10:49. > :10:55.American friend of years. She came second. Tell us the story of the
:10:55. > :11:01.race. When you work on a race like that, the 400 hurdles, which is a
:11:01. > :11:05.technical event, you dream about it on a daily basis. I could not sleep
:11:05. > :11:11.any night. I would see myself running in slow motion from start
:11:11. > :11:18.to finish. I would see myself sometimes falling, sometimes
:11:18. > :11:25.winning Bugg I thought "this is the moment of your life." The race is
:11:25. > :11:34.so quick. You have to concentrate. 80,000 spectators in the stadium
:11:34. > :11:39.and I could not hear them. I was in my own world. Judie Brown from the
:11:39. > :11:46.United States is a great friend of mine. Also, Christina from Romania.
:11:46. > :11:51.Also, the favoured from India. I was the underdog. This was my day,
:11:51. > :12:01.my event. Where there Tears For Your Father?
:12:01. > :12:02.
:12:02. > :12:07.Yes. Lots of tears for my father. - - were at their tears for your
:12:07. > :12:12.father? He was the one he used to collect every newspaper club.
:12:12. > :12:20.Arabic newspapers, French newspapers. He got photographs of
:12:20. > :12:25.his daughter. People wondered if I would win one day. He would tell me
:12:25. > :12:29.before going to the States that I was an Arabic champion, an African
:12:29. > :12:33.champion, and Mediterranean champion, a French champion and the
:12:33. > :12:38.only title missing was the Olympic championship. People told me to
:12:38. > :12:48.think of the best gifts. They come in small packages. Do not think you
:12:48. > :12:53.cannot make it all the hurdles It was a moment that changed the
:12:53. > :13:00.lives of tens of thousands of Muslim women in sport. What kind of
:13:00. > :13:05.progress has been made? A lot of progress has been made. At the 1988
:13:05. > :13:11.Olympic Games I could not compete because of surgery in my knees. We
:13:11. > :13:20.had Hassiba Boulmerka who made it in the 1,500 metres. Who could
:13:20. > :13:28.imagine Nigeria could produce an Olympic champion? -- Algeria. In
:13:28. > :13:33.1982 we had athletes competing from Tunisia, Egypt. Women from Egypt
:13:33. > :13:39.competed back in the 30s at the Olympic Games. That was outstanding
:13:39. > :13:44.to see women from Egypt competing so early. You would concede that
:13:44. > :13:51.progress has been patchy. Saudi Arabia, only this year they have
:13:51. > :14:01.allowed two women to compete. Olympic Games will be historic in
:14:01. > :14:03.
:14:03. > :14:08.our movement. London 2012. It is very 4th positive. We have two
:14:08. > :14:14.women competing from Saudi Arabia, a woman competing from Qatar and
:14:14. > :14:18.Brunei. In some countries fundamentalism is growing, there
:14:18. > :14:27.might be a backlash against that attitude? I think sport has no
:14:27. > :14:34.barriers. It is a language that has no colour, no religion... It is a
:14:34. > :14:41.must. It is like breathing oxygen. I think it is something that I
:14:41. > :14:46.carry with me in my DNA. This is what I will be promoting for the
:14:46. > :14:56.rest of my life. I think every woman, every child, every goal has
:14:56. > :15:00.
:15:00. > :15:03.the right to train and practise physical education. -- girl. How do
:15:03. > :15:13.you count allegations from the hardliners that the participation
:15:13. > :15:13.
:15:13. > :15:23.of women is immoral, it leaves them open to some version, services --
:15:23. > :15:30.
:15:30. > :15:34.subversive Western corruption? -- some -- subversion. I do not agree
:15:34. > :15:39.with that. I think sport teaches you so many things. It makes your
:15:39. > :15:43.IQ better today than it was yesterday. It educates you and
:15:43. > :15:48.makes sense in your life. You have been a sports minister with the
:15:48. > :15:56.Moroccan government. You are a member of the IOC. How would you
:15:56. > :16:04.describe your political style? is a question, maybe it will be
:16:04. > :16:12.difficult to answer. You are a liberal? Sport has given me
:16:12. > :16:18.everything. Remember the 54 seconds, the impact on my life. Every day of
:16:18. > :16:24.my life, everything I do I want to do it for the sport. Sport made me
:16:24. > :16:32.what I am today. I became what I am because of sport. Every energy of
:16:32. > :16:39.my life is to work for the youth of this world. The youth are sometimes
:16:39. > :16:47.having difficulties understanding who they are. They go to drugs.
:16:47. > :16:51.They go to poverty because of violence, Missouri, AIDS. It is my
:16:51. > :17:00.duty to hand down the Olympic torch to the younger generation who is
:17:00. > :17:04.sometimes lost. -- misery. I am sorry to interrupt. Does this
:17:04. > :17:09.philosophy making a future president of the IOC? Jacques Rogge
:17:09. > :17:14.is going to retire next year. happy to sell the Olympic movement.
:17:14. > :17:21.To sum up my philosophy, I am happy to be at the Service of the
:17:21. > :17:26.movement that made me what I am today. Whether I am in a small
:17:26. > :17:33.commission, Working Group, a networking group, I am what I am
:17:33. > :17:41.because of the Olympics. You are not ruling it out. This is
:17:41. > :17:46.something I'm happy to serve my movement. In what ever position.
:17:46. > :17:54.When I won in 1984 I did not know I would make it this far. It gave me
:17:54. > :17:58.so many things. So many lessons. It is selfish of me to turn my back on
:17:58. > :18:02.the Olympic movement. It is difficult to be in a male-dominated
:18:03. > :18:12.society. It is difficult. This philosophy that I'm talking about,
:18:12. > :18:16.to apply it, it is very difficult. The IOC is dominated. Every single
:18:16. > :18:21.organisation is male dominated. a woman who has broken through so
:18:21. > :18:26.many barriers, what a breakthrough it would be if you were the first
:18:26. > :18:32.woman to be the IOC president. continue the good work, you have
:18:32. > :18:39.caught me by surprise. You are a member of the executive, you are
:18:39. > :18:44.well respected. I think the president Jacques Rogge, what he is
:18:44. > :18:51.doing, what he has done in the past regarding women's inclusion in the
:18:51. > :18:59.movement, is something that is a must for the health and growth of a
:18:59. > :19:06.movement. At the moment we are getting there. To have 50-50 would
:19:06. > :19:10.be very good for a movement. Whoever takes the leadership in the
:19:10. > :19:19.future I think this philosophy needs to be continued and respected.
:19:19. > :19:24.I think it is important. remember the day after the vote, 52
:19:24. > :19:30.people killed, at that point, did you think the IOC membership had
:19:30. > :19:37.made the most terrible decision? always trusted London. No-one would
:19:37. > :19:42.want anything to happen. You still Trust London? We still Trust London.
:19:42. > :19:48.This will be the same statement from everybody else. Very briefly,
:19:48. > :19:53.let's look forward to Rio. You have given them the hurry up. A large
:19:53. > :20:02.body of work needs to be accomplished between now and 2016.
:20:02. > :20:11.You are cracking the whip. As from 13th August, after 12th August the
:20:11. > :20:19.Olympic flag will be given to the mayor of Rio from Boris Johnson. It
:20:19. > :20:25.will be a very unique and strong moment for Rio to prepare for the
:20:25. > :20:31.2016 Olympic Games. They are preparing for the World Cup as well.
:20:31. > :20:36.All the media, or the international federations and Olympic Committee,
:20:36. > :20:44.all the stakeholders will be going there on a regular basis to check
:20:44. > :20:51.on the situation. They are beginning to plan for 2016. Rio
:20:51. > :20:57.needs to be ready. Accommodation for the media, the athletes, the
:20:57. > :21:05.tourists, for everyone. Regarding the sporting sites, the airport, I
:21:05. > :21:09.think the next meeting after the Olympic Games will take place in
:21:09. > :21:14.Rio next November. A good opportunity for the transfer of
:21:14. > :21:18.knowledge. You must recall the rear is represented by hundreds of