Nawal El Moutawakel, born on 15 April 1962 in Casablanca, is an Moroccan female athlete who made history in 1984 as the first Arab, African and Muslim female to win a gold medal in the first 400m hurdles women in the history of the Olympic Games. Her University studies in the United States led her to the position of athletics coach. In 1995, she became member of the International Federation of Athletics, then in 1998 member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in which she holds important positions on the Executive Board. At the same time, King Hassan II appointed her as Secretary of State for Youth and Sports in Morocco in 1997, a position she held again in 2007 as Minister. Nawal El Moutawakel is the recipient of many distinctions including the following : National Merit (exceptional order) awarded by the King Hassan II of Morocco (1983), Knight of the National Order of the Lion awarded by the President of Senegal Abdou Diouf (1998).