Contemplate for better Jordan success

AMMAN — A look back at sports in Jordan 2014 possibly holds not much to celebrate and a lot of contemplation as to what could have been done better.

Sports fans and observers alike note that even with more and more funds allocated to sports federations each year, there has been a steady regression in sports on the Asian and international levels over the last decade.

This year’s most memorable achievement was being awarded the right to host the 2016 U-17 Women’s World Cup. The event will be the first of its kind for Jordan and the region, and is expected to boost the game locally as well as market Jordan as a destination for hosting major global competitions.

On the admin side, that is countered by upheavals in many sports federations including handball, athletics, badminton and taekwondo, some of which witnessed mass resignations, freezing of competitions, forming alternative boards and even having to resort to their respective international bodies to apply rules governing their respective authorities. 

On the sporting field, the nine medals, including gold by athletes at the Asian Para Games (for the disabled), was Jordan’s best sporting achievement. They unfortunately did not make headlines!

Since first competing in 1986, the 2006 Asian Games saw Jordan score its best achievement winning eight medals, including the first gold. This year, Jordan only managed four medals. Out of 33 medals overall won by Jordan at the Asian Games, 27 have been secured through martial arts including 20 in taekwondo. This year, taekwondo failed to win a single medal.

With the 2016 Olympics not too far away, many ex-players and officials concur we are lagging far behind on the Asian level — a benchmark of our competitive capacity. 

Another of Jordan’s top teams, basketball, who lost the 2006 Asian Games semifinal to China which would have been the country’s first ever Asian team medal, was knocked out in the preliminary round this year. This same team was the country’s first ever team to qualify to a World Championship in 2010.

The women’s game is making a slow comeback. Jordan hosted the 22nd FIBA Asia U-18 Championship for Women and despite finishing 5th in Level 2, Jordan Basketball Federation officials viewed the event as a platform to advance the game on the local and regional levels as it was only last year, and after nearly a 20-year break, that Jordan returned to Asian women’s basketball competitions at the 3rd FIBA Asia U-16 Championship finishing 5th in Level 2.

All eyes are now on the national team which is readying for the Asian Cup starting in January. The team finished the year at 81st in FIFA Rankings. The squad had a turbulent year with a change at the helm as coach Hossam Hassan was replaced by Englishman Raymond Wilkins and the line-up underwent many changes and less consistent results.

In football, the younger players, including the U-23 Olympic team, fared better than seniors, reaching the quarters of football in the Asian Games. Likewise the inaugural U-22 AFC Championship saw Jordan beat South Korea to take the bronze medal.

Event after event this year, Jordan failed to qualify and win. At the 8th West Asian Football Championship, Jordan lost to Qatar in the final. In women’s football, the senior women’s team exited Round 1 of the Asian Games and similarly, the first round of their first AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2014. In addition, Jordan was eliminated from qualifiers for the 2015 AFC U-19 Women’s Championship. The U-19 squad was hoping to qualify for the second time after Jordan was the first Arab team to play in the 3rd championship finals in 2007. The U-16 girls team also failed to qualify to the 2015 AFC U-16 Women’s Championship. 

Locally, the football and basketball leagues have seen inconsistent results. The country’s veteran team, Faisali, is now eighth in the standings and amid talks of administrative irregularities, hundreds of club members took their issue to Parliament and the Higher Council of Youth. 

On the Asian front, the AFC Cup, which was previously dominated by Jordan’s Faisali and Shabab Urdun, no longer has Jordanian teams in the lead.

In 2014, officials have a lot to contemplate. From technical assessments of competitions to an overhaul of regulations that eventually lead to non-experts heading the process. On both fronts there is much to be done.