Why was the Beirut Women's Race canceled?

With just a month to go before the big day, the announcement came as a disappointment to many. In a statement published on its Instagram account, the Beirut Marathon Association officially canceled the 2024 edition of the "Women's Race," a 10-kilometer race organized every spring in the streets of the Lebanese capital. Launched with the aim of promoting "the emancipation of women and the overcoming of stereotypes ... and adopting a healthier lifestyle through sport," according to the description of the event on its official website, it had been a great success during its three previous editions – between 2021 and 2023 – each year bringing together several thousand people at the start of the various parallel races, including two separate "10 kilometers" for men and women.

The same formula was to be repeated for this 2024 edition, scheduled for May 12, with the exception of one detail: The race's main sponsor, L'Oréal Paris. The name of the world's leading cosmetics group was explicitly mentioned and featured prominently in publications linked to communications around the event. This contrasts with previous races organized by Beirut Marathon.

The event poster posted on the beirutmarathon Instagram account.

"We regret to inform you that the Beirut Marathon Association has taken the difficult decision to cancel the L'Oréal Paris Women's Race ... The decision to cancel the race was taken on the basis of our national, humanitarian and moral principles, which have always been the pillars of our mission and vision," explains the organization in its press release published on April 8.

Contacted by L'Orient-Le Jour, Soraya Barbir, director of the Beirut Marathon, gave further details on these motivations, linked according to her to the country's institutional and security context: "We decided to cancel the race when the Minister of the Interior decided to organize municipal elections on the same day as our race. The other reason is the concern of our participants from the South who would not have been able to join us because of the situation," she explained, adding that another 10-kilometer race could be held in July to compensate for the cancellation "if conditions allow."

'Do not condone Israel's crimes'

On March 6, caretaker Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi announced before the parliamentary Defense Committee that elections for municipal councils and mukhtars would be held on May 12, 19 and 26. Since then, the elections have been postponed for the third time by a year, following a vote by MPs on April 25 extending the terms of office of municipal councils and mukhtars until May 2025.

However, a number of participants who had initially signed up for the race were of a different opinion. "We had been preparing for the race for several weeks, but when we realized that it was sponsored by L'Oréal, we immediately decided to withdraw in protest," says a member of The Crew, a community of amateur athletes in Beirut.

The reason for the withdrawal is that the French cosmetics giant is on the list of companies cited by the BDS movement (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions) calling for a boycott of all companies with commercial ties to Israel. Targeted by this campaign since 2008, L'Oréal Paris has been present in Israel since 1994, where it has set up its sales headquarters for the entire Middle East. According to the BDS article, its subsidiary operates a factory in the Israeli town of Lower Galilee, built on the site of a Palestinian village destroyed and emptied of its inhabitants during the Nakba in 1948.

"Participating in this race would have given us the impression of endorsing the crimes Israel is committing in Palestine and southern Lebanon," says the runner, who requested anonymity. "It has become increasingly clear that certain companies are complicit in perpetuating the oppression suffered by Palestinians through their financial support for the Israeli government. As such, I could not knowingly support or participate in events sponsored by these entities," agrees Rana*, a 21-year-old student at the Lebanese University, who was also supposed to run the Women's Race, independently. "By adopting this principled stance, I hope to be on the right side of history and contribute, however small, to the collective efforts to end the occupation and achieve a just and lasting peace in the region", she adds.

The number of defections that preceded the announcement of the cancellation of the race could not be verified. However, its impact should be put into perspective, according to Soraya Barbir, who describes it as "very low" and "probably wouldn't have made much difference." L'Oréal's Lebanese subsidiary did not respond to requests for comment.

"L'Oréal Liban has been offering its products to all our participants for several years now, and participates in our event on the ground by organizing games and activities," concluded the Beirut Marathon director, without specifying whether this collaboration will continue at future races.

*First names have been changed at the request of interviewees.

This article originally appeared in French in L'Orient-Le Jour.