The occasion: Jordan’s hope Nadine Dawani plays her first match in Beijing

The time: 5:45 am Amman Time

The chances: If Nadine beats the British player in the first round she advances to face the Chinese – the group’s favourite.
But she will still have a very good chance to compete for the bronze, even if she loses to the Chinese.

The opponent: Britain’s Sarah Stevenson – European Champion in 2005 and 2006
17th place in Athens 2004 (Nadine finished 5th in the same weight class in Athens)

5:35 Am alarm goes off – tough choice between patriotism and sloth

5:45 Navigate through handball, men’s diving, table tennis to finally find the match.

1:23 to go – first round (1-1)
After half a minute of bouncing around the players score simultaneous points 1-1 on turning kicks.
0:20 to go – first round (2-1) Stevenson
With both players spending the period bouncing around and trying to get a feel for the opponent, Stevenson scores a point by landing a kick as the round winds down.

First time out – A group of twenty Chinese people is shown waving little Jordanian flags. Good to see the Jordanian teams coming to Beijing prepared with all the essentials for a successful Olympic participation.

0:18 to go – second round (2-2)
At the end of another bouncing-only round Nadine scores on a push kick to tie the match. Followed by some shoving at the end of the round.

Second time out – The same group of Chinese people is still waving the flag, but we now we can see that they are led by two-time Olympian Zeina Shabaan who looks like she is enjoying her three-week vacation in Beijing.

1:24 to go – third round (3-2) Stevenson
After the referee urges the players to fight for the seventh time in the last two rounds, Stevenson scores on another turning kick.
1:00 to go -
The Moroccan commentator is getting nervous. “Nadine has to win”
0:30 to go -
With time winding down and Nadine continuing with her passive-defensive approach, I am starting to wonder if Taekwondo matches are played out of four rounds and not three
0:15 to go -
The Olympic dream is almost over and Nadine is still bouncing around without any serious attempts to score a tying point.
0:10 to go -
Nadine throws a few kicks, engages with the Brit, tries to push her out of bounds to force her into a penalty.
End of match
Stevenson 3 : Dawani 2

The Moroccan commentator seems confused why wouldn’t Nadine actually fight.
The Lebanese commentator believes she did fine because at least she was competitive.

And that sums up Jordan’s Olympic participation in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Objective for 2012: Make the second round in at least one sport.