Setting things right in sports

The general consensus among athletes and observers is that we are regressing in sports at Asian, and, of course, international levels.

The recently concluded Asian Games in South Korea saw Jordan bring home a mere four medals. Yet, that was the focal point of the coverage, overshadowing a far more memorable achievement, that of athletes at the Para Games (for the disabled) who returned home with nine medals, including a gold.

They barely made headlines.

Jordan’s national anthem was played only once before, when Maha Barghouti won a gold medal at the Sydney Paralympics in 2000.

She went on to win a medal in wheelchair table tennis for three consecutive Paralympics. This same athlete is again among medal winners at the recently concluded Asian Games; an extraordinary achievement.

But then, the Jordan Paralympic Committee and its athletes have rarely had a symbolic participation.

That is not the case with the rest of our sportspeople.

Event after event this year, at the Asian football competitions as well as at the pinnacle of the continents’ sporting events — the Asian Games — results showed that something was seriously wrong. 

Jordan lags far behind at the Asian level — a benchmark of our competitive capacity.

With the 2016 Olympics, not too far away, the Asian Games should be a serious wake up call for all concerned.

At the 2006 Asian Games, Jordan had its best achievement since first competing in 1986, winning eight medals, one of them gold. At the following Asian Games, in 2010 Jordan got six medals and this year only four.

Out of 33 medals overall won by Jordan at the Asian Games (three gold, 15 silver and 15 bronze), 27 were secured through martial arts: 20 in taekwondo and seven in karate. Three were won by boxers.

Another top team, basketball, lost the Asian Games semifinal to China in 2006, and later failed to win the bronze medal which would have secured Jordan’s first ever Asian team sports medal.

In 2010, the team finished 8th at the Asian Games. This year, Jordan was out in the preliminary round. This same team was the country’s first to qualify to a world championship.

It is evident that even after participation in such major events, things have not been put on track.

Perhaps it is time to acknowledge that we do not have the right experts in leadership posts to assess technical issues related to sports federations whose players, coaches and officials should be held accountable for their performance — or lack of it.

When our teams lose, there is always an excuse: jet lag, difficult flight connections, weather, no training field, injuries, etc.

The poor performance of our sportspeople is compounded by lack of long-term planning. Moreover, laws governing sports federations mostly contradict international regulations, and technical people that are brought in are seldom former athletes or experts.

There is no merit system even in this field.

Jordan had many sports stars whose resilience and fighting spirit not only earned them medals but enabled them to become role models. One rarely sees those champions leading the process.

To set things right, our athletes need to work harder, the right officials have to head federations and delegations, and the whole process needs to be objectively and honestly assessed.

The country has meagre resources, but sponsors will join the journey when the sails are set in right direction.

Symbolic participation at sporting events is no longer enough. Change has to happen.