AMMAN, (Xinhua) -- Jordan's woman table tennis player Zeina Shaban will hold the national flag at the Beijing Olympics' opening ceremony, official news agency Petra reported on Saturday, noting that female seems to have dominated the Arab team. The upcoming Beijing Olympics will see the participation of four women Jordanians Nadeen Dwani (taekwondo), Zeina Shaban (tennis) Razan Fareed (swimming), and runner Bara' Marwan, as compared to three men of Anas Hamoudeh (swimming), Ibrahim Bisharat (equestrian) and athlete Khalil Hanahneh, it said. The delegation is also headed by a female -- Lana Jagbeer. She is supposed to be the first Jordanian woman ever to lead an Olympic delegation. Shaban qualified for her second Olympics in February when she clinched the sole berth from the West Asia Zone. En route to Beijing, she beat Jordan's Siwar Abc Yumun and Syria's Suha Anous, before overcoming Lebanon's top players Mariana Sahakian and Lara Kejebashian. Moreover, Jordan's delegation this year abandoned the foregone idea of mere participation and adopted the slogan of competition in hopes to grab a platform crown, the report added. The Beijing Olympic Games will be held from August 8th to 24th. Approximately 10,500 athletes from 204 countries and regions are expected to participate in the Games. Princess Haya bint Al-Hussein (L) of Jordan, wife of Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Ruler of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, was also a former Olympian. She was elected in July 2007 as the member representing the IOC in the UAE and as President of the International Equestrian Federation. She also competed in showjumping at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Princess Haya is the first accredited dignitary of the IOC to arrive in China for the Games.
