Hosting sports championships enhances Jordan's presence on the sports tourism map

The beginning of the year saw the hosting of the "Jordan Baja" in Aqaba from February 12-14, with the participation of competitors in the car and motorcycle categories as part of international and continental Baja rounds. Concurrently, the Jordan Olympic Committee organized the Baja Sports Festival, with the participation of about 200 male and female athletes in taekwondo, karate, boxing, and e-sports.

In the same month, Amman hosted the International Jiu-Jitsu Professional Tour championship, which was held on February 13 as part of the Abu Dhabi Jiu-Jitsu Pro tour agenda, adding to the Kingdom's international sports hosting calendar.

In May, Jordan hosted the Jordan Rally, the third round of the Middle East Rally Championship. Its competitions were held in the Dead Sea and Jordan Valley areas with the participation of competitors from various countries. His Royal Highness Prince Faisal bin Al Hussein followed part of the rally competitions and crowned the winners at its conclusion, emphasizing the importance of the event and Jordan's position in hosting motorsport competitions at the regional and international levels.

In July, the Kingdom hosted the Asian Junior and Cadet Judo Championships, with the participation of about 350 male and female athletes representing 22 countries. It was inaugurated by His Royal Highness Prince Faisal bin Al Hussein, President of the Jordan Olympic Committee, while the President of the Judo Union of Asia praised the organizational and technical efforts made by Jordan and the facilities provided by the Olympic Committee and the Jordan Judo Federation.

In August, Amman hosted the tenth edition of the Hassan International Open Taekwondo Championship, which was held from August 7-9. It is included on the World Taekwondo Federation's agenda, reflecting Jordan's continued presence on the international competition calendar for the sport.

With the arrival of September, Petra appeared on the sports scene by hosting the 17th edition of the Petra Desert Marathon on September 5, with the participation of about 270 runners from different countries. The marathon included 42-kilometer and 25-kilometer courses, in an event that combined sports challenge with desert nature and the region's tourism assets.

Among the most recent sports events hosted in the Kingdom is the 24th Asian Karate Championship for Youth, Juniors, and Under-21s, which kicked off yesterday, Tuesday, in Amman with the participation of 338 male and female athletes representing 30 countries, adding to the series of continental and international events witnessed by the Kingdom during the current year.

Chairman of the Petra Development and Tourism Region Authority, Adnan Al-Swaier, said that hosting sports events in Petra represents an important opportunity to enhance the city's presence on the sports tourism map and to benefit from its location and natural and historical assets in attracting participants and sports delegations from various countries.

He added that linking sports events with tourism programs contributes to introducing participants to tourist sites in Petra and encourages them to extend their stay and benefit from local tourism services, stressing the importance of continued coordination between sports and tourism authorities to develop events that combine sports and tourism and reflect on the tourism and economic movement in the region.

In turn, tourism economy expert Dr. Zaid Saaidat said that sports tourism is one of the tourism patterns that Jordan can build upon to diversify the tourism product and attract new segments of visitors, especially with the availability of diverse tourist sites and infrastructure capable of hosting sports events at various levels.

He pointed out that the benefits of hosting international and regional championships are not limited to the days of the competitions, but their effects can extend to the hotel, transport, restaurant, and tourism services sectors, calling for the development of tourism packages and programs dedicated to athletes, delegations, and participants to maximize the economic return from sports hosting and enhance the promotion of Jordan as a destination for sports tourism.

The succession and diversity of these events confirm the expansion of the scope of sports hosting in Jordan, especially in sports that attract participants and delegations from outside the Kingdom. This provides a base that can be built upon to strengthen the concept of sports tourism and take advantage of the presence of athletes, technical and administrative staff, referees, and delegations to introduce Jordanian tourist sites.

Motorsports stand out particularly in this aspect, given the holding of the "Jordan Baja" in Aqaba and the Jordan Rally in the Dead Sea and Jordan Valley areas, while the Petra Marathon provides a direct model for the link between a sports event and one of the most prominent tourist destinations in the Kingdom.

Continental and international championships held in Amman also provide an opportunity to enhance communication between Jordanian federations and their continental and international counterparts, exchange expertise in the fields of organization, arbitration, and sports management, in addition to demonstrating the readiness of Jordanian sports facilities to host competitions at continental and international levels.

Benefiting from these events in terms of tourism and economy requires further coordination between the sports sector and the authorities concerned with tourism, allowing for the inclusion of visits to tourist sites within the programs of delegations and participants, and encouraging the extension of the length of stay and benefiting from the accommodation, transport, restaurant, and services sectors.