ROAD TO TOKYO STARTS IN BAKU

 With a little over three years to go until the sport of karate makes its return to the Olympic programme, Jordan will be looking to send a strong message when it competes at the Islamic Solidarity Games in Baku, Azerbaijan, from May 12-22.

Jordan has historically been one of the stronger nations for the sport, but with Tokyo hosting its Olympic return in 2020, nations will be putting more focus and investment on the sport.

So as not to rest on its laurels, Jordan has stepped up its squad training with Baku kicking off a busy year of competition including the World Karate Championships for Juniors and Cadets to be held in Spain in October.

Baku could also provide another early opportunity for the sport in Jordan to step from out of the shadows of taekwondo, which has generally drawn a bigger fan base particularly since Ahmed Abu Ghaush won gold at the Rio Olympics.

As part of the Baku build-up, Jordan will take strong delegation to compete in the Premier League Championship to be held in the UAE next week.

The squad heading to Baku include: Coaches: Ibrahim Abu Al Edam (coach), Na’el Owaimer (women) and Mohammad Fetyan (men) Athletes (Men): Hamzeh Owies (Kata), Mohammad Sami (-60kg), Bashar Al Najjar (-75kg), Nabeil Al Shweiki (-67kg), Hatim Al Dweik (-84kg), Mahmoud Al Sajjan (84kg). Female: Qamar Al Kurdi (Kata), Ayat Fetyan (68kg), Rouzan Al D’ajah (-50kg), Majdeh Al Bashayreh (-55kg), Huda Jaber (-61kg) and Hala Tarbash (-68kg).