JORDAN: TAEKWONDO -Taekwondo team is hopeful and confident as it gets ready to leave for the London Olympics

Record ID: 330970

  • Title: JORDAN: TAEKWONDO -Taekwondo team is hopeful and confident as it gets ready to leave for the London Olympics
  • Date: 21st June 2012
  • Summary: AMMAN, JORDAN (JUNE 17, 2012) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF JORDAN TAEKWONDO TEAM STRETCHING PLAYER NADIN DAWANI STRETCHING TEAM PRACTISING PLAYERS EXERCISING TO IMPROVE MUSCLE FLEXIBILITY (SOUNDBITE) (English) NATIONAL TEAM COACH, CHEN CHIOU HWA, SAYING: "We do have a chance and the most important -- for myself -- we go very detailed in preparation for the technical part, psychological part and what we can do for this challenge. And in general, our team almost reached a stage that can be challenging now, so it is ready but, as we mentioned, sometimes we need luck. Inshalllah." VARIOUS OF TAEKWONDO PLAYERS PRACTISING MEMBER OF TEAM, NADIN DAWANI, KICKING (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) NADIN DAWANI, TAEKWONDO PLAYER FOR LONDON OLYMPICS, SAYING: "We are training to compete. Sports is about winning and losing, but we want to win. God willing, we will play, compete and achieve a medal." TAEKWONDO PLAYERS PRACTISING (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) DANA TOURAN, TAEKWONDO PLAYER FOR LONDON OLYMPICS, SAYING: "Certainly we are going to compete, not only participate. God willing, we will achieve good ranking and we hope for the best." VARIOUS OF TEAM PRACTISING (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) MOHAMMAD ABU LIBDEH, CAPTAIN OF JORDAN NATIONAL TEAM FOR TAEKWONDO, SAYING: "I have competed against players participating in the London Olympics, with God's grace, I am ranked third worldwide. I know the players and I have defeated most of them. I played against all players. God willing, I have a strong chance of bringing a medal, particularly that I have been playing in this weight category for a long time and I won medals on the international level and on Asia level." VARIOUS OF TEAM KICKING
  • Embargoed: 6th July 2012 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Jordan
  • Country: Jordan
  • Topics: Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVA1N3PKRK8FJAJJLL1J2P4CY0LT
  • Story Text: Kicking and stretching, Jordan's national taekwondo team is training hard for the 2012 London Olympics.
    Coach Chen Chiou Hwa is at hand to make sure the team members perfect their footwork, timing and speed and build agility, stamina and mental strength.
    "We do have a chance and the most important -- for myself -- we go very detailed in preparation for the technical part, psychological part and what we can do for this challenge. And in general, our team almost reached a stage that can be challenging now, so it is ready but, as we mentioned, sometimes we need luck," he said during a training session at the King Hussein sports city in Amman.
    The kingdom will send three players -- two women and a man -- to compete in the martial art games.
    The team recently finished training at several camps in France and Taiwan after taking part in an international competition in Vienna to prepare for the event.
    It will head to London this month for a 40-day extensive training camp ahead of the summer Olympic Games, which takes place from July 27-August 12.
    Player Nadin Dawani is hoping to replicate her recent success on the Asian level in the 67-plus weight category.
    "We are training to compete. Sports is about winning and losing, but we want to win. God willing we play, compete and achieve a medal," said Dawani.
    Nicknamed the Jordanian Taekwondo Butterfly, Dana Touran hopes she will be leading the country's charge for its first Olympic medal in the 49-plus weight category.
    "Certainly we are going to compete, not only to participate. God willing, we will achieve good ranking and we hope for the best," said Touran.
    The 19-year-old taekwondo star won a silver medal at the Youth Olympics held in Singapore in 2011.
    At the age of 14, Touran won gold in the 2007 Asian Youth Championship and two silver medals in the 2010 World Championship after joining the national team.
    Another promising name is the team captain Mohammad Abu Libdeh, who is confident he'll reach the podium for the 72-plus weight category.
    "I have competed against the players participating in London Olympics, with God's grace, I am ranked third worldwide. I know the players and I have defeated most of them. I played against all players. God willing I have a strong chance to bring a medal, particularly that I have been playing in this weight category for a long time and I have won medals on the international level and on Asia level."
    The 2012 London Olympics taekwondo competition will be held at the ExCeL arena in London from August 8-11.
    Taekwondo -- loosely translated as "way of the fist and foot" -- enjoyed a surge in popularity after being exhibited as a demonstration sport at the Seoul Olympics in 1988 and quickly rose to become one of the world's most practised martial arts.
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