JORDAN SET FOR WORLD GAMES

Jordan has announced a strong five-member team that will compete at the 10th World Games in Wrocław, Poland, from July 20-30.

The five athletes to have come through a tough qualifying period are Lama Qubbaj and Haidar Rasheed (Ju Jitsu), Ali Khalaf and Bara’a Al Abbsi (Kickboxing), and Mohammad Salameh (Muay).

The World Games is a platform for sports and disciplines that are not contested in the Olympic Games, and is organised and governed by the International World Games Association (IWGA) and recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

The first edition of the Games was held in Santa Clara, USA, in 1981 when over 1,745 athletes representing 15 sports took part. The event has grown with each year and this summer will see over 3,000 athletes from 110 countries compete across 31 sports.[

The World Games is held in the year after the Olympic Games with athletes going through a strong qualification process to participate.

Jordan has previously won four medals in taekwondo prior to that sport being included onto the Olympic programme. In 1989, Mohammad Al Zu’bi and Feras Al Jaiusi won silver medals in Germany 1989, while Ammar Al Subaihi took bronze.

Four years later Tareq Abu Sbetan won a bronze medal in the Netherlands. The Polish city of Wrocław was chosen to host the World Games ahead of Budapest (Hungary), Cape Town (South Africa) and Genova (Italy).