43 PARALYMPICS CHAMPION
NATIONAL PRIDE 1999
The first Arab Para Games were held at the Arab Games in Amman 1999. Since then, athletes from all over the Arab world have been reaching for glory. Ahmed Goumaa Mohamed (power lifting, Egypt) has risen to the highest levels. In addition to his gold medal (56kg category) in the Arab Games in Amman 1999, Ahmed has been collecting gold medals at world and Olympic competitions. In his collection are five Paralympic medals: silver in the 51kg category at the Paralympics in Seoul 1988, gold in the 52kg category at the Paralympics in Barcelona 1992, gold in the 56kg category at the Paralympic Games in Atlanta 1996, gold in the 56kg category at the Paralympic Games in Sydney 2000 and silver in the 56kg category in Athens 2004.
Football is by far the most awaited and important sports competition at the Arab Games. Large crowds flock to the stadiums to cheer for their countries. With this strong focus on football, the host country always feels an obligation to win the tournament. At the Arab Games in 1999, the Jordan Football Team felt this pressure. With the Jordanian King Abdullah in the stands the players managed to handle the pressure and win the tournament. The campaign started with two victories against Qatar (3-0) and Palestine (2-0) in the first stage. In the second stage, the team suffered one defeat against Lebanon (1-3) and two victories against Iraq (2-1) and Oman (2-0). With those results, Jordan qualified for the semi-finals against Palestine. The team overpowered their opponents with a 4-1 score. The final against Iraq was very dramatic; after leading the match 4-0, Jordan’s performance slacked off and Iraq caught up to a 4-4 draw in regular time. A dramatic penalty shoot-out saw Jordan win 3-1.
AHMED GOUMAA MOHAMED
THE FOOTBALL TEAM OF JORDAN
Ahmed Goumaa in action
The players of Jordan celebrating their victory in 1999 Š AFP
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