Prince Feisal delivers inspirational speech to Jordan Olympians

AMMAN — HRH Prince Feisal, the president of the Jordan Olympic Committee (JOC), delivered on Thursday an inspirational speech to members of Team Jordan who will be competing at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro over the next two weeks, according to the JOC News Service.

The prince visited the team in the Athletes Village ahead of the start of the Games on Friday night, with Jordan having eight athletes competing across six sports.

And after joining the delegation at the official raising of the Jordan flag in the Athletes Village, Prince Feisal addressed the athletes with a rousing speech to tell them they are the “pride of Jordan”.

“The fact that you are here, that you are competing for Jordan and under the Jordanian flag and on the biggest stage of them all is a wonderful achievement and something all of you should be proud of,” Prince Feisal told the athletes.

“The Olympic Games is not just about winning medals, it is about representing your country alongside the very best sportsmen and women in the world. If you try your very best, then no-one can be critical of you. Go out there and leave nothing behind when you compete. You all have the backing of every one of us in Jordan and we will be with you every step of the way.”

Prince Feisal went on to tell the athletes that he hopes they will see the Rio Games as part of their long-term sporting journey as Olympic scholarships are already available through to Tokyo 2020, with the prince stating “all of you are a part of this journey with us and we will support you as much as we can beyond Rio”.

Jordan’s athletes in Rio are Hussein Ishaiash and Obada Al Kesbeh competing in boxing; brother and sister pairing of Khader and Talita Baqlah going in the pool; triathlete Lawrence Fanous and Judo star Ibrahim Khalaf in their first Olympics, while Mithqal Al Abbadi competes in his second Olympic marathon. Taekwondo’s Ahmed Abu Ghaush will be the final athlete to arrive and he is expected in Brazil on August 10.

Ishaiash is expected to be carrying the Jordan flag at the opening ceremony.

The young fighter turns 21 on Saturday and has become a household name in Jordan after qualifying for the Games by winning a bronze medal at the tough Asian qualifiers in April.

“What a huge honour this is,” said Ishaiash. “It will be one of the proudest moments of my life and I am extremely humbled to have been chosen.”

The opening ceremony is expected to be watched by in excess of 2 billion people across the world.

The Olympics Games will welcome over 10,000 athletes from 204 countries, with Jordan set to begin its competition on Sunday when 17-year-old swimmer Khader competes in the 200m freestyle.