Sport in Jordan
Sports in Jordan are important in the country's culture.
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[edit] Popular sports
The gardens of Al-Hussein in Amman, the city of Al-Hassan for youth in Irbid and the city of Prince Mohammad youth in Zarqa helped partnerships[1]. Jordanian, Arab, regional and many international championships received high turnout and much attention from Jordanian youth; in particular for football and basketball. Games, self-defense, swimming, tennis, labour and equestrian sports are all eagerly accepted by young people as sports.
[edit] Football
Football is the most popular sport in Jordan, and it is no exception. In every area, from Khalda all the way to Al Hashimi Al-Janoobial, most people on every street play football. Football is becoming increasingly popular in Jordan, especially because of the large recent improvements in Jordan's national football team. The national football team reached 37th in September 2004 according to the FIFA Rankings. Little Leagues and Youth Clubs related to football are also very popular in Jordan, some of which are supervised and run by the Jordan Football Association.
The Jordan League which is similar to the English Premier League, attracts reasonable crowds each week once the season has begun. The league which began in 1944 has seen huge growth in the past decade, with new teams, improved players, new stadiums and highly paid Managers. Under the Jordan League is the Second Division Jordan League. However the bottom two teams in the first division get relegated at the end of the season, whilst the top two teams in the second division are promoted. In doing this it gives teams in the second division a bigger motivation to do well in the league, whilst at the same time makes sure that teams in the first division always try their best to avoid relegation.
In the 2008/2009 season the teams in the first division were:
- Al-Arabi (Irbid)
- Al-Baqa'a SC
- Al-Faisaly (Amman)
- Al-Hussein (Irbid)
- Al-Jazeera (Amman)
- Al-Wahdat SC
- Shabab Al-Hussein
- Shabab Al-Ordon
- Al-Yarmouk (Promoted from 2nd level)
- Ittihad Al-Ramtha (Promoted from 2nd level)
- Al-Ahli (Amman)
- Al-Ramtha SC
[edit] Rugby union
[edit] Basketball
Major improvements are also occurring in basketball in Jordan. Jordan's national basketball team is now being sponsored by Zain and participating in various Arab and Middle East basketball competitions. Local teams include: Al-Orthodoxi Club, Al-Riyadi, Zain, Al-Hussein and Al-Jazeera.
[edit] Tennis
Even though only a small percentage of Jordanians actually play tennis, many more people are interested in watching tennis matches. With the Australian Open finals of 2009 recording huge numbers from Jordan.
[edit] Cycling
Although cycling is not a very famous sport in Jordan, the sport is developing rapidly as a lifestyle and a new way to travel and explore the country especially among the youth.
The governing body of cycling in jordan is the Jordanian Cycling Federation (JCF).
The cycling clubs in jordan are:
The idea of establishing Tareef cycling club "the first cycling team in Jordan" came about in March 1982, at the University of Jordan, and specifically in the Faculty of Engineering, when the late young chap Tareef Khayyat was the secretary of the cycling committee, before the cycling Association was established. Tareef, an amiable good mannered young man, died suddenly. A number of his colleagues took the initiative to establish a cycling team that carried his name. The team participated in the first formal race held by the cycling Association in Jordan on 14th October 1982 and topped the event. The cycling races continued to be held, and Tareef’s Team dominated almost all individual and team scores. Consequently, it was decided to convert this team into an officially registered club.
Not with standing the many difficulties facing Tareef friends, those young people were able to obtain licensee to establish this club on 21st April 1983, under the name of Tareef. Significantly, they were also able, after nine days of the club’s establishment, to organize the Annual Tareef Race on the first anniversary of Tareef’s demise on 30 the April, 1983, under the gracious patronage of HRH Crown Prince Al-Hassan, which proved to be a significant event in the history of cycling in jordan.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
[edit] External links
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