The Jordanian embassy later apologized for the situation.
Sara Vilic competed in Jordan over the weekend. Photo from 2017. PDO
Austrian triathlete Sara Vilic30, tells about a scary situation that he and a competition partner got into Tanja Strohschneider had to go on a competition trip in Jordan.
The two decided to prepare for the next day’s competition by going for a swim alone in the cove next to the public beach.
Swimming practice took a scary turn when a group of several dozen men gathered on the beach.
– A group of men started shouting abuse at us. We noticed that they didn’t like us: women in swimsuits, Vilic recounted what happened for Kronen Zeitung.
The ever-more aggressive crowd finally started stoning the Austrian duo.
– A large rock just flew past my head, one hit Tanja on the back, Vilic says.
The two remained safe in the water for a long time. The scary situation finally ended happily considering the circumstances when the duo made it back to the beach and the crowd gave the duo peace.
– We were lucky on the way. It could have been really bad.
Vilic finished third in the next day’s race and Strohschneider fifth.
The Jordanian embassy later apologized for what happened. Vilic and Strohschneider were invited to admire the country’s most famous attraction, the city of Petra.
– It was a great gesture. We accept the apologies, commented Vilic.
Jordan is a strongly Muslim country. It has received criticism from human rights organizations, especially regarding the position of women.
Estimated by World Population Review Jordan as the 57th safest country in the world. Finland was 14th in the same list.
– Everything was fine in our accommodation. Outside of that, you could observe bad behavior towards foreigners and especially women, Vilic told about his experiences.