Jordan's King Abdullah II will be named "Sport King of the World" at the end of this month, reported the Jordan Times newspaper, quoting officials.
King Abdullah will receive the Gold Order of the International Body Building Federation (IFBB), from its President Ben Weider in a special ceremony to be held early next month, said the paper.
"The IFBB informed us three months ago that they will present King Abdullah with the federation's Gold Order," head of Jordan Body Building Federation (JBFF) Hussein Toga told the Jordan Times.
The ceremony, he said, will coincide with the kick-off of the Jordan Body Building Championship on September 1st.
Toga explained that King Abdullah's support for local sports and the fact that "whenever there is an event he's there" brought him a worldwide reputation.
Last week, the IFBB received permanent recognition from the International Olympic Committee, in a meeting held in Lausanne, Switzerland.
"It has taken 54 years of hard work to achieve this result for body builders," 80-year-old Weider said in a message to Toga explaining that the sport will be an exhibition game at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, said the paper - Albawaba.com
© 2000 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
