يَوْمَ السَّبْتِ، كَانَ فِي عَمَّانَ، عَاصِمَةِ الْأُرْدُنِّ، سِبَاقٌ لِلْمَشْيِ. نَظَّمَتِ السِّبَاقَ شَرِكَةٌ اسْمُهَا «تْرَاك»، لِتُشَجِّعَ كِبَارَ السِّنِّ عَلَى الرِّيَاضَةِ. شَارَكَ فِيهِ أَرْبَعُمِئَةِ شَخْصٍ، أَعْمَارُهُمْ سِتُّونَ سَنَةً أَوْ أَكْثَرُ. حَكَم أَبُو الْبَصَل وَاحِدٌ مِنْهُمْ، وَعُمْرُهُ أَرْبَعٌ وَسِتُّونَ سَنَةً. وَهُوَ أَبٌ لِسِتَّةِ أَوْلَادٍ، وَعِنْدَهُ سِتَّةُ أَحْفَادٍ. حَكَمٌ يُحِبُّ الرِّيَاضَةَ، وَيَشْعُرُ بِالْفَرَحِ عِنْدَمَا يَمْشِي. قَبْلَ السِّبَاقِ، أَدَّى تَمَارِينَ إِحْمَاءٍ بِحَمَاسٍ كَبِيرٍ. ثُمَّ بَدَأَ السِّبَاقُ، وَمَشَى حَكَمٌ مَعَ النَّاسِ. وَمَشَوْا مَعًا مَسَافَةَ كِيلُومِتْرَيْنِ وَنِصْفٍ. مَرْيَم الصَّبَّاغ شَارَكَتْ فِي السِّبَاقِ أَيْضًا، وَكَانَتْ سَعِيدَةً جِدًّا. تَقُولُ: «عِنْدَنَا رُوحٌ رِيَاضِيَّةٌ، وَعِنْدَنَا قُوَّةٌ وَنَشَاطٌ. وَلَيْسَ ضَرُورِيًّا أَنْ نَجْلِسَ فِي الْبَيْتِ. أَنَا لَسْتُ كَبِيرَةً!»
On Saturday, there was a walking race in Amman, the capital of Jordan. A company called “Track” organized the race, to encourage older people to do sport. Four hundred people took part in it, aged sixty or more. Hakam Abu al-Basal is one of them, and he is sixty-four years old. And he is a father of six children, and he has six grandchildren. Hakam loves sport, and he feels joy when he walks. Before the race, he did warm-up exercises with great enthusiasm. Then the race began, and Hakam walked with the people. And they walked together a distance of two and a half kilometres. Maryam Al-Sabbagh took part in the race too, and she was very happy. She says: “We have a sporting spirit, and we have strength and energy. And there is no need for us to sit at home. I am not old!”