Amman, Jordan, September 13, 2025: Hana Al Dayyat’s narrative, drawing strength from the story of Wilma Rudolph, was declared the winner of the Asian Youth Reporter project conducted by the OCA, the organising committee for the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games, and the Jordan Olympic Committee.
Rudolph was an American sprinter who overcame polio as a child and went onto becoming a world record-holding Olympic champion in the 1956 and 1960 Olympic Games.
Using Rudolph as her muse, the 20-year-old Hana, became the sixth person to win a berth on the OCA media team for the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games from September 19 to October 4, 2026.
In her winning essay, Hana a former gymnast, wrote: “As someone who lived both as a gymnast and as a storyteller/presenter, I want to learn, see and share stories that remind us all why we play, why we dream and why we never give up, exactly like Wilma Rudolph back in 1960 where she was told by her doctor that she will never walk again, yet she ran faster than anyone in the world.”
Hana, who used to be a gymnast, and is now a gymnastics coach, related how she watched her mum cry when she won her first competitive gold medal as a child. “Now as a coach, I feel a new kind of joy, watching young gymnasts discovering the same passion that once lit up my own journey. Isn’t it incredible how sport can pass from one generation to the next, just like a flame that never goes out,” she wrote.
“I studied radio and TV to understand the power of media. Through media, I found a way to express and share stories, challenging and motivational stories to inspire young athletes,” Hana said.
Hana will join five other previous winners in Aichi-Nagoya – Bhutan’s Meera Regmi, Tajikistan’s Rumayza Norova, Naranbat Serjmaa from Mongolia, Lebanese Zaynab Kawtharani, and Katie Speldewinde from Sri Lanka.
The OCA hopes to have 10 young reporters from across Asia at next year’s Asian Games, learning and experiencing the life of a sports journalist at a major multi-sport event.
The Jordan Olympic Committee Secretary General Rana Al Saeed also disclosed that the NOC would help Hana and other budding writers over the next year, with training in media and sports journalism.
“Like everything else, we need new blood in journalism too. We will have a training programme for one year, so that the best will stay and focus on sports journalism,” Al Saeed said.
A total of 22 participants featured in the Jordan leg of the Asian Youth Reporter project. Hana emerged as the winner.
She concluded: “Every story told, every athlete cheered, and every dream witnessed reminds me that passion knows no borders. I want to be there in Japan, not just to watch history, but to help the world feel the athlete’s journey.”
