Strong Jordan contingent joins Invictus Games

AMMAN — Jordan’s contingent to the Invictus Games — the only international sporting event for wounded, injured and ill veteran and active service personnel — joined over 500 athletes at the competition which started in Sydney, Australia, on Saturday.

The Invictus Games was launched by Prince Harry of Britain in 2014 for the positive impact sport could have on the recovery and rehabilitation of wounded, injured and ill servicemen and women. It highlights the power of sport to inspire recovery, support rehabilitation, and generate a wider understanding of and respect for those who serve their country.

The word “Invictus”, Latin for “unconquered” and embodies the fighting spirit of those servicemen and women who have been tested and challenged, but they have not been overcome They have proven that by embracing each other and the support of family and friends, they can reclaim their future. 

Jordan will compete in athletics, sitting volleyball, indoor rowing and weightlifting. A total of 17 athletes, including two women are among the delegation. They range from anti-narcotics agents, injured on duty to border guards and gendarmerie and army servicemen.

Interviewed ahead of departure by the Jordan Times, the Kingdom’s athletes, supported by the Hashemite Commission for Disabled Soldiers, include Ahmad Al Barahmeh, who served on the northern border with Syria when a gunshot resulted in a spinal cord injury in 2015. 

Barahmeh, who hails from the Jordan Valley and commutes a long way to train with his colleagues, is still on active duty with the Jordan Armed Forces and will compete for the first time. “I enjoy sports and am looking forward to representing Jordan in three disciplines: 100m wheelchair race, rowing, and weightlifting. My injury has not diminished his fighting spirit.”

Another competitor, Anwar Saidat comes from Wadi Mousa. A Public Security Directorate anti-narcotics department officer since 2009, who suffered a broken hip and impaired vision in one eye following an accident while on duty, used to travel for three hours to train with his colleagues. Saidat is new to sports competitions and said he was happy to have met fellow disabled servicemen who come from different parts of the country. “I loves the team spirit that sports competitions create and boost in people.”

The inaugural Invictus Games was held in London in 2014 and was attended by over 400 competitors from 13 nations. In 2016, Florida hosted the second Invictus Games with 485 competitors from 14 nations taking part. In 2017, Toronto hosted 540 competitors from 17 nations. The fourth current edition will host 18 countries in Sydney, from October 20 through October 27. 

The next edition will be held in The Hague, The Netherlands in May 2020. 

The Invictus Games Sydney 2018 will feature 500 competitors from 18 participating nations.

The Invictus Games are open to competitors from all branches of the regular or reserve armed forces of participating nations who have become wounded, injured or ill during, or as a direct consequence of their service. Participants are allowed to compete in as many individual and team sports as they wish, and in as many events as they desire, provided the competition schedule and individual sport programme allow for it and they are selected by their nation. Every attempt has been made to create a competition schedule that will permit competitors to participate in as many sports as possible.