Amman: The Crown Prince Foundation (CPF) on Sunday concluded the second edition of the School Athletics Championship, organized in partnership with the Ministry of Education and the Jordan Athletics Federation (JAF). The championship aligns with the vision of HRH Crown Prince Al-Hussein bin Abdullah II to empower young people and develop their skills across various fields by providing high-quality opportunities to discover and foster their capabilities, the foundation said in a statement.
According to Jordan News Agency, the initiative aims to embed a culture of school sports to help build a physically conscious and qualified generation. Through strategic national partnerships, the tournament seeks to identify promising sports talent and enhance student abilities within a positive and encouraging competitive environment. This year's tournament expanded its reach, receiving over 17,000 registration applications. More than 13,800 male and female students from grades 6 to 12 eventually participated, representing 6,700 schools across 43 educational directorates throughout the governorates.
The current edition introduced several new athletic disciplines alongside the 60-meter and 100-meter sprints, including 800-meter and 1,500-meter endurance running, as well as shot put events tailored to each age group. The closing ceremony was attended by Abdul Hakim Al-Shawabkeh, director of educational activities at the Ministry of Education; Nujoud Serhan, CPF director of programs and performance excellence; and Rami Abu Urabi Al-Adwan, JAF president. Following a morning semi-final round featuring 192 students, 96 athletes qualified for the finals to compete for the top three positions across the different games and categories.
The Ministry of Education said the success of the tournament reflects ongoing national interest in school sports and highlights the ministry's role in building an integrated educational and athletic system that discovers and nurtures young talent. The ministry added that its strategic partnership with the CPF has directly raised the quality of school sports programs, providing a modern competitive environment aligned with best practices while opening new paths for gifted students to eventually join national teams and compete internationally.
JAF noted that the tournament represents a significant milestone in widening the footprint of track and field events across schools in all governorates. The federation plans to increase participation numbers in the coming years to identify athletic talents at an early age and support their long-term development.