President Joseph Aoun (center), surrounded by the Minister of Youth and Sports, Noura Bayrakdarian (left), and the president of ICSS, Mohammad Hanzab (right). (Credit: Photo released by the Lebanese Presidency)
BEIRUT — The Youth and Sports Ministry organized a major conference in Beirut on Thursday titled "Toward a national strategy for sport in Lebanon," attended by President Joseph Aoun.
The event, held at the Phoenicia Hotel on the capital’s seafront, brought together around a dozen Lebanese ministers as well as representatives of international organizations and numerous countries from the Arab world, Asia and Europe, according to the state-run National News Agency (NNA).
In his remarks, President Aoun hailed “a key step toward developing a national sports strategy and recognizing the central role of youth and sports in the country’s development.” Those sentiments were echoed by Youth and Sports Minister Nora Bayrakdarian, who described the conference as a “historic turning point” for the development of Lebanese sport, which “must become an economic and social pillar, following the example of successful European experiences,” she said.
Among the announcements made at the event, the minister said this development would be facilitated by “enhanced cooperation between Lebanon, Qatar and international organizations to develop the sports sector.”
She also mentioned the implementation of a “roadmap for sport in Lebanon, aligned with international standards and adapted to local realities,” to which “Harvard University and the Sorbonne” contributed, as well as several international institutions including the ICSS (International Centre for Sport Security), UNESCO, SIGA (Sport Integrity Global Alliance), and EMCA (European Multisport Club Association).
Bayrakdarian also emphasized the need for sports governance that ensures “transparency, efficiency and fairness,” to make sport a “driver of economic development that promotes investment, innovation, tourism and job creation.”
Visiting from Qatar, International Centre for Sport Security president Mohammad Hanzab spoke of a partnership “between ICSS, the Lebanese Youth and Sports Ministry, and the Qatar Fund for Development [QFFD]” to strengthen integrity, governance and security in sport.
He also confirmed that Lebanon will host the international “Securing Sports” conference in 2026, previously held in London and Doha, an announcement welcomed by President Aoun.
