Sport Saturdays with Khaled: Jordan taekwondo climbs in global rankings

AMMAN — This week we are covering some interesting developments, from local stars advancing in global rankings all the way to local tournaments and rankings, make sure to read on. اضافة اعلان


TaekwondoJordan’s taekwondo scene has been climbing the rankings in the previous couple of years. On Wednesday, Jordan’s Juliana Al-Sadeq topped the international taekwondo ranking in the under 67kg category. This makes Al-Sadeq the first Jordanian and Arab female athlete to do so.

Al-Sadeq also ranked second in the Olympic classification for the same weight class, the international rankings for January reported.

National team star, Zaid Mustafa, also jumped to second place in global and Olympic rankings. Just last year, Mustafa came in 40th.  These achievements reflect work and commitment to the sport on a national level, the Jordan Taekwondo Federation spokesperson and secretary, Faisal Abdullat, said.

TennisAnother ranking for the books for Jordan this week: Abedallah Shelbayh, national tennis team member, won the Arab Elite Tennis Championship title.

Shelbayh was crowned for the singles segment of the championship, which was hosted by Kuwait at the Sheikh Jaber Al Abdullah Al Jaber Al Sabah International Tennis Complex.

The championship saw the participation of 23 Arab players.

Shelbayh,19, beat Lebanese player Benjamin Hassan in the final. He currently stands at 303 in ATP rankings.


BasketballIn more local sports news, the CFI Premier Basketball League is on the move, with the Orthodox Club currently leading the standings.

On Friday, with an eight-point lead, the Orthodox club beat Al-Ahli 96-88, marking their sport as leaders in the league. Meanwhile, Jubeiha beat Al-Ashrafiya by 97-78, and Al-Riyadi beat Kufryoba 86-61.

As of Saturday, these are the score rankings: Orthodox club in the lead with eight points, Al-Ahli second with seven points, Al-Riyadi and Jubeiha third and fourth, respectively with six points, Kufryoba fifth with five points, and Al-Ashrafiya sixth with four points.


FootballThe under 17 women’s team tied with Palestine on Wednesday 0-0. The match opened the team’s run for the West Asia Junior Championship 2023.

In the same tournament, they defeated Bahrain 1-0.

On Sunday, the team will face Lebanon, the scoreboard leaders, at 7pm at the Aqaba Stadium.

The tournament is hosted by the Jordanian Football Federation and will go on till January 10. It is held in a single-stage league system, where the teams play the first round, with the leader of the scoreboard meeting with the runner-up to determine the champion.

Jordan’s under 17 national team is the title holder of the first edition of the West Asian Young Women's Championship, which took place in 2018 in the UAE.


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