Mohammed Abu Libdeh: A design for life

The IOC Sport and Peace Seminar for the Middle East put one of Jordan’s rising stars in the international spotlight and underlined him as a fine role model for the Kingdom’s youth.

23 year-old Mohammed Abu Libdeh was part of an athlete and media session describing how they can play a role in using sport as a means to building strong relationships among divided communities.

The tae kwon do star stole the show with carefully thought out answers that drew admiration from the VIP audience that included HRH Prince Feisal Al Hussein, President of the JOC, as well as representatives from the IOC, United Nations and 15 Olympic Committees from across the region.

“I was very proud to be asked to attend such an important event and I hope it can make a real difference in bringing people together in the future,” he said.

The high media presence has raised the profile of one of Jordan’s leading sportsmen. With a host of national, regional and international titles under his belt, Abu Libdeh represents one the best hopes that the Kingdom has for winning gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

But getting to where he is today has not been easy for the student who is splitting his time between practice and studying interior design.

“I live in a family of five and I am the eldest,” said the modest youngster. “The reason I got into the sport was through my uncle my Tayseer Abu Libdeh who used to play in the National Team. It was because of him that I fell in love with this sport.

“My Uncle took me with him to a tae kwon do centre when I was just five and then I moved to the Olympiad Centre where my current coach Suhail Naser is based.”

But it was not until 1998 that the rising star found that he had the talent to make his mark on the sport.

“My first participation was in that year in the Amman International Championship where I achieved a Silver Medal in the under 54k. It encouraged me to step up my training and take it more seriously.

“In 1999 I became a member at the Juniors National Team and I used to practice under the supervision of coaches Khader KHalifeh and Tariq Al Lababedi. I graduated to the national team in 2002 under the supervision of the national coach Tawfeeq Nwaiser.

“My first International participation was in Al Fajr International Championship held in Iran in 2002. I have participated in this championship four times and have won two Bronze Medals.”

More medals followed at tournaments in China and Pakistan before he achieved fifth in the World Championship held in Thailand. A new Jordanian star had arrived on the world scene.

2006 saw him achieve his biggest successes to date with gold at the Arab Cup in Sharm El Sheikh and the Arab Police Championship held in Amman.

Abu Libdeh is now approaching the most crucial period of his career to date with the Pan Arab Games, World Championship and Olympic Qualifiers all scheduled before the year end. But with victories over the world’s best over the past six months, the young role model has his sites firmly fixed on bringing more glory to Jordan.