JOC celebrates Jordanian youth development on UN International Youth Day

The Jordan Olympic Committee (JOC) is celebrating the United Nations (UN) International Youth Day by reflecting on the excellent youth development in Jordanian sport in the past 12 months.

The JOC launched a new national strategy for sport in 2017, which encompasses a drive to ensure sport plays a greater role in the lives of all Jordanians. The progress that the JOC has made in this regard resonates strongly with the theme of this year’s UN International Youth Day: "Transforming education." The focus on efforts to make education more inclusive and accessible for all youth mirrors the JOC’s efforts to provide a platform for all young people to take up and be inspired by sport.

Over the past 12 months, the national strategy for sport has had a significant impact on the development of young athletes at both an elite and grassroots level. Speaking about the progress that has been made, JOC Secretary General Nasser Majali said:

"The United Nations International Youth Day is great opportunity for the JOC to promote all of the excellent work that is being done to inspire a more active and healthy society in Jordan, as well as the increasing number of opportunities being provided to help elite young athletes succeed. By reflecting on the past year, we can see what we have done well and also identify areas that we can improve in. The Buenos Aires Youth Olympic Games 2018 were a particularly important learning period for us. We were proud to win a bronze medal, but equally proud to send our biggest-ever team to compete in the world’s biggest youth sporting event. There were many lessons that we learned that we are now incorporating into our youth-focused initiatives."

This year’s International Youth Day is examining how Governments, young people and youth-led organisations, as well as other stakeholders, are transforming education so that it becomes a powerful tool to achieve the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The JOC has embraced the core values of this Agenda, in the belief that sport is a key component for educational development. One of the key areas of focus for the JOC in the past 12 months is helping young athletes find a balance between education and competing in high-level sport.

Young Taekwondo athlete Ahmad Abu Ghaush and Jujitsu athlete Haider Rasheed, who are both still studying and competing, noted the importance of the JOC’s support.

Ahmad Abu Ghaush: "Sport became a part of my life, but it was important to find a balance between my sport and my education. This has helped me to excel in both."

Haidar Rasheed: "Sport has made me a more organised person, especially when it has come to finding time for my studies. You can be both a champion and a good student at the same time."

The JOC is continuing to work hard with the Jordanian Ministry of Youth to explore new ways to combine sport and education, and create a healthy and more active Jordanian society.

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