Jordan's national taekwondo team entered a domestic training camp yesterday, immediately after returning from South Korea following its participation in the Grand Prix, as part of its ongoing preparation program for upcoming international commitments.
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The training camp is being held at the Prince Rashed Center for Self-Defense Sports in Al-Hussein Youth City, due to maintenance work at the Olympic Preparation Center.
The training camp runs through the 27th of this month, after which the national team will depart the following day for Japan, to take part in the Asian Games, one of the most important stops on the team's upcoming schedule, amid hopes from the technical staff and players to continue racking up achievements and improving their standing in the world and Olympic rankings.
The current camp comes at an important time for the team, as the technical staff works to raise the players' technical and physical readiness, address some of the issues that emerged during recent competitions, and give players a chance to recover after a month packed with competitions and travel across several countries.
The camp represents a key step in the preparation plan for the Asian Games, ahead of moving on to the next commitment, the Grand Prix competition hosted by France, part of the series of international appearances the team is taking on to maintain its strong presence on the world stage and boost its athletes' ranking points.
The national taekwondo team hasn't slowed down over the past period, with athletes competing in a series of consecutive international competitions, starting with the President's Cup held in Pakistan, followed by the Women's World Championship in China, and most recently the Grand Prix competition in South Korea, placing significant physical and mental demands on both the athletes and the technical staff.
The current training camp includes: Saleh Al-Sharbati, Zaid Mustafa, Zaid Al-Halwani, Jaafar Al-Dawoud, and Mohammad Al-Adarbeh, alongside female athletes Fadia Kharfan, Razan Al-Rawashdeh, and Rama Abu Al-Rub, under the supervision of national teams technical director Fares Al-Assaf, who is working with the technical staff to design a balanced training program that accounts for the players' physical condition following the recent string of competitions.
Al-Assaf affirmed that the past month was demanding for both athletes and technical staff, given the density of international appearances and the back-to-back tournaments held within a short timeframe, while noting that the results achieved recently served as an important positive factor in boosting the athletes' morale and giving them extra motivation to keep working.
He explained that the advancement of 6 athletes in the Olympic and world rankings reflects the level of progress the team has reached, and underscores the importance of continued international participation in improving players' standings and strengthening their chances of reaching upcoming major competitions.
Al-Assaf noted that Asian national teams have faced significant pressure recently due to a congested competition calendar, explaining that the former Asian Taekwondo Union set a packed schedule of back-to-back tournaments, which led to fatigue among athletes and technical staff, particularly with the tournaments preceding the Grand Prix series.
Taekwondo Federation Secretary-General and spokesperson, Engineer Faisal Al-Abdallat, said: "The national team hopes participation in the Asian Games will mark a new step in strengthening its continental and international presence, especially given the results its athletes have achieved in recent years, which have helped cement Jordanian taekwondo's standing on the global map of the sport."
He added that the upcoming period carries added significance for both athletes and the technical staff, given the back-to-back nature of upcoming commitments and the tight gaps between them, which requires maintaining focus and readiness, and making the most of every international appearance to raise technical standards and improve rankings.
Resource: Al-Ghad. Reporting: Ayman Wajih Al-Khatib
