There were high levels of youth participation across the three-day event, and it was hugely successful in empowering refugees and displaced people through sport. The Hope and Dreams Taekwondo Championships featured more than 300 participants in Taekwondo, while around 250 Baseball5 players competed, and Badminton was part of the programme for the first time. 

World Taekwondo President and THF Chairman Dr. Chungwon Choue was in attendance, joined by Jordan Taekwondo Federation (JTF) President HRH Prince Rashid bin El Hassan, HRH Princess Zeina Rashid, JTF Vice President Hazem Naimat, WT Council members Maher Magableh, Ahmed Alzeyoudi, Shaddad Al Amri and THF Board members HH Prince Fahad Bin Jalawi Al Saud and Richard Barnor. The World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) President Riccardo Fraccari, Badminton World Federation (BWF) Vice-President Jassem Kanso and Korean Ambassador in Jordan, Mr. Dong-gi Kim was also among the guests at the Festival.

The Hope and Dreams Taekwondo Championships today welcomed 187 athletes from the Azraq Refugee Camp and 114 from the Za’atari Refugee Camp. They competed in events across 48 different categories, ensuring an inclusive Championships in which young athletes of all ages could experience the Festival. Several of the participants may also be invited to compete at the 2025 World Taekwondo Cadet Championships in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates.

There were approximately 250 athletes who competed in Baseball5 at the Festival, with tournaments being staged in the Under-12, Under-14 and Under-16 categories. This included participants from the Azraq Refugee Camp and the Souf Camp, as well as the Jordanian villages of Balila, Maqbeleh and Summa.

The inclusion of Badminton in the THF Hope and Dreams Sports Festival for the first time provided an inclusive session for young participants. It saw the participation of 10 athletes from the Azraq Refugee Camp and 10 from the Jordan Badminton Federation’s Youth Talent Programme.

Basketball activities were also included across the three days of the Festival.

The Hope and Dreams Sports Festival was organised by the THF and World Taekwondo in collaboration with the WBSC, BWF and FIBA Foundation. The THF aims to work with an increasing number of International Federations to use sport to promote health and well-being among refugees and displaced people.