His Royal Highness stood unopposed in an election at Al Hussein Youth City and will now serve another four-year term.

He was first elected as JOC President in 2003 and became a member of the International Olympic Committee in 2010.

“I am proud to have been re-elected President of the Jordan Olympic Committee, it is a duty and honor to serve Jordan’s sporting family for four more years,” said Prince Feisal, also the founder and chairman of Generations For Peace.

“I am looking forward to continuing the excellent progress the JOC has made and to leading our ambitious new national sporting strategy.

“We aim to ensure sport plays a greater role in the lives of all Jordanians and inspires the next generation to embody Olympic values.”

Prince Feisal will be joined by 17 Board members, representing “distinguished individuals”, Olympic and non-Olympic sports and former athletes.

Three women are among the number, including the President’s daughter Princess Ayah Al Feisal.

She is President of the Jordan Volleyball Federation.

The distinguished individuals are His Excellency Dr Haditha Al Khresha, the Minister of Youth, who will serve as vice-president alongside Dr Sari Hamdan.

Ahmed Hanandeh is also a member of this group.

Joining Princess Ayah as an Olympic Federation representative is Dr Khalid Atyat for fencing, who will also serve as vice-president.

Cycling’s Jamal Al Fa’uri, tennis’ Ameen Al Momani, football’s Lu’ai Omeish, karate’s Mu’een Al Fa’uri, badminton’s Omar Bani Hani, swimming’s Maher Mahfouz, table tennis’ Fawaz Al Sharabi and handball’s Tayseer Al Mansi will also take seats.

Non-Olympic sports will be represented by Ratib Al Damen, for billiards and snooker, and Dr Husam Barakat for squash.

The Olympic athletes include another member of the Royal Family in HRH Princess Zaina Al Rashed.

She competed at both Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008 at table tennis.

Taekwondo Olympian Nadin Dawani will also take a place on the board.

The sport provided Jordan with its first medal at Rio 2016, when Ahmad Abu Ghaush won gold in the men’s 68 kilograms division.

By Dan Palmer

Republished with permission from insidethegames.biz. 

**Editor’s Note: Prince Feisal Al Hussein was awarded an International Honorary Doctorate from the United States Sports Academy in 2014. **

Even Simone Biles wasn’t always Simone Biles.

A poor performance at a qualifying meet four years ago shook her confidence badly enough that coach Aimee Boorman pulled her off the floor before her last event. No one knew quite what to expect when she showed up at the national championships three weeks later.

Biles won, of course, kicking off an unprecedented run over the next four years that culminated in the all-around title and three other gold medals at last summer’s Rio Olympics.

It’s a story worth remembering as the women’s competition at the P&G Championships begins Friday with no clear heir apparent to Biles. With three years until the Tokyo Olympics, someone will emerge.

Someone always does.

“It’s the changing of the guard. It happens every time,” said Kim Zmeskal Burdette, who coaches Ragan Smith and Emma Malabuyo, two of the gymnasts who could emerge as the next big thing.

Smith, considered a veteran at 17, was one of three alternates in Rio last summer and won the American Cup earlier this year. The 14-year-old Malabuyo is still a junior, but she posted the fourth-highest all-around score in the world this year at last month’s U.S. Classic.

The top two spots on that list? Those belong to fellow American juniors Gabby Perea and Maile O’Keefe. All three will be eligible to compete as seniors next year, giving them plenty of time to get experience ahead of Tokyo.

“I actually think about the Olympics almost every day,” Malabuyo said. “That’s my goal so, every day that’s what motivates me and that’s what pushes me. You want to be there so every day that’s in my mind and I try pushing myself.”

As Zmeskal said, the year after the Olympics is always one of transition and this one is more so than most. Martha Karolyi, the women’s national team coordinator since 2001, retired after Rio and was replaced by Valeri Liukin, who trained daughter Nastia, the 2008 Olympic champion.

Liukin and Karolyi have very different personalities, but their expectations are similar.

As the gymnasts said they should be.

“It’s still hard core,” said Ashton Locklear, who also was a Rio alternate. “And it has to be to hold the bar where we have it set.”

One way to ensure that is a deep talent pool, which was Liukin’s goal when he took over as director of the developmental program five years ago. Those athletes are now juniors, and the competition in that division will be far tougher than at the senior level.

It’s reminiscent of the scenario after Beijing, when Jordyn Wieber, McKayla Maroney, Kyla Ross and Aly Raisman dominated the junior ranks. Wieber would win the all-around title at the 2011 world championships, where she, Maroney, Raisman and Gabby Douglas also claimed the team title.

A year later, the Fierce Five steamrolled the competition at the London Olympics. In addition to team gold, the first by an American gymnastics team outside the U.S., Douglas won the all-around title and Raisman claimed gold on floor.

That history is not lost on the gymnasts here this week. They have watched women they know, women they’ve trained with, shine, and they’re eager for their turn in that spotlight.

“I try to take my goals one goal at a time and always have Tokyo in the back of my mind as the ultimate goal,” said Morgan Hurd, a first-year senior. “I feel like (a good showing here) can really help me move up in the ranks.”

The calendar says the Tokyo Olympics are still three years away. This week, however, it’s all about Generation Next.

By Nancy Armour

This article was republished with permission from the original author and 2015 Ronald Reagan Media Award recipient, Nancy Armour, and the original publisher, USA Today. Follow columnist Nancy Armour on Twitter @nrarmour.

The Swiss, who headed the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Evaluation Commission visits to both cities when they were still competing for just the 2024 edition, said it was vital for the Olympic Movement to capitalize on the interest of both bidders.

It was agreed at the Extraordinary IOC Session in Lausanne last month that a Tripartite Commission would be formed consisting of representatives from the IOC and both prospective host cities.

Los Angeles then announced its candidacy for the 2028 Games, leaving the path clear for Paris to host the earlier edition.

The recommendation to award 2024 and 2028 simultaneously is now expected to be rubber-stamped by the IOC membership at their Session in Lima on September 13.

It will mark the third time that both Los Angeles and Paris have hosted sport’s showpiece event.

The French capital played host in 1900 and 1924 and the Olympics took place in Los Angeles in 1932 and 1984.

Baumann, an IOC member, is also President of the Global Association of International Sports Federations, the umbrella body formerly known as SportAccord, and secretary general of the International Basketball Federation.

He believes that taking advantage of both cities’ interest in hosting the Games was the ideal outcome for everyone involved.

“It does not happen very often that you have two Olympic cities like Paris and Los Angeles that both want the Games with such intensity,” he told insidethegames.

“With both having already hosted the Games, everything is already there to make 2024 and 2028 a success so taking advantage of this situation has definitely been the best possible outcome for both cities and the IOC.”

Under the terms of the Host City Contract 2028, the IOC will advance funds to the Los Angeles Organizing Committee in view of the longer planning period.

They will also increase participation and access to youth sports programs in the city in the years leading up to the Games.

Baumann paid tribute to both cities’ long-standing history and close ties to the Olympic Games.

“These are great Olympic cities,” he said.

“Both have hosted the Games twice and have deep roots within the Olympic Movement.

“Paris has the direct link to Pierre de Coubertin and the rebirth of the Olympic Games while the Los Angeles bid is being run by people who experienced the Games there in 1984 as kids.

“But of course both cities also have their differences and have been able to express very solid bids but very much taking into consideration their local conditions.”

By Max Winters

Republished with permission from insidethegames.biz.