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Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...
's geography, both summer and winter sports are engaged in in the country. During autumn and spring it is sometimes possible to engage in both activities on the same day; for example,
skiing Skiing is the use of skis to glide on snow for basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport. Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and the International S ...
in the morning and swimming in the afternoon. Lebanon hosted the
Asian Cup The AFC Asian Cup is the primary association football competition contested by the senior list of men's national association football teams, men's national teams of the members of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), determining the contin ...
in 2000 and the
Pan-Arab Games The Arab Games (), also known as the Pan-Arab Games, are a regional multi-sport event held between nations from the Arab world. They are organized by the Union of Arab National Olympic Committees. The first Games took place in 1953 in Alexandr ...
in 1957 and again in 1997. Lebanon gained acceptance to host the 13th Pan-Arab Games in 2015. Although the
Asian Winter Games The Asian Winter Games (AWG) is an international multi-sport event held every four years for members of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) featuring winter events. The Japanese Olympic Committee first suggested creating a winter version of the ...
were under consideration to be held in Lebanon in 2009, they ultimately did not take place. However, Lebanon did host Les
Jeux de la Francophonie The Jeux de la Francophonie (Canadian English: ''Francophonie Games''; British English: ''Francophone Games'') are a combination of artistic and sporting events for the Francophonie, mostly French-speaking nations and former colonies of France ...
in 2009.


Autosports


Rally

Rally of Lebanon, which is organized by the Automobile et Touring Club du Liban (ATCL), has been a sport in Lebanon since the late 1960s.


Grand Prix

In 2001,
Solidere Solidere s.a.l. is a Lebanese joint-stock company in charge of planning and redeveloping Beirut Central District following the conclusion, in 1990, of the Lebanese Civil War. By agreement with the government, Solidere has special powers of emi ...
planned to build a racing circuit in the
Beirut Central District The Beirut Central District is the historical and geographical central business district, core of Beirut, the capital of Lebanon. Also called downtown Beirut, it has been described as the “vibrant financial, commercial, and administrative ...
in a bid to stage
Formula One Formula One (F1) is the highest class of worldwide racing for open-wheel single-seater formula Auto racing, racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one ...
races in Lebanon. The plan never saw fruition. However, Lebanon entered the world of international motor sport in 2004 with the formation of the Lebanese
A1 Grand Prix A1 Grand Prix Operations Ltd. operated as A1 Grand Prix (A1GP) was a "single-make" open-wheel auto racing series that ran from 2005 until 2009. It was unique in its field in that competitors solely represented their nation as opposed to themse ...
team that included driver
Basil Shaaban Basil Shaaban (born 27 March 1980 in Beirut) is a Lebanese racing driver. Early racing Shaaban began racing in Lebanon at the age of 14 at the Circuit des Champions karting center near Brummana. Eventually, he worked his way up to driving 100 ...
, making Lebanon the first Arab nation to participate in the World Cup of Motorsport.


Athletics


Jogging

Jogging Jogging is a form of trotting or running at a slow or leisurely pace. The main intention is to increase physical fitness with less stress on the body than from faster running but more than walking, or to maintain a steady speed for longer periods ...
is popular in parts of the capital.


Marathons

The Beirut International Marathon (BIM) has been an annual event since 2003.


Bodybuilding

Bodybuilding Bodybuilding is the practice of Resistance training, progressive resistance exercise to build, control, and develop one's skeletal muscle, muscles via muscle hypertrophy, hypertrophy. An individual who engages in this activity is referred to a ...
is a sport in Lebanon. Bodybuilders like
Samir Bannout Samir Bannout () (born November 7, 1955) is a Lebanese former professional bodybuilder and commentator. Nicknamed 'The Lion of Lebanon', he won the 1983 Mr. Olympia, defeating Mohamed Makkawy and Lee Haney. He is the first Middle Eastern bodyb ...
,
Fouad Abiad Fouad "Hoss" Abiad (Arabic: فؤاد ابيض; born 15 October 1978) is a retired Canadian IFBB professional bodybuilder. He earned IFBB Pro League status by winning the super-heavyweight division and overall titles of the Canadian Championships ...
and
Mohammad Bannout Mohammad Ali Bannout (محمد علي بنوت; born 17 December 1976, in Beirut, Lebanon), informally referred to as Moe Bannout, is a Lebanese IFBB professional bodybuilder. Competitive statistics *Age: *Height: 1.78 m *Competitive weig ...
won international competitions.


Combat sports


Greco-Roman wrestling

Khalil Taha Khalil Taha (13 July 1932 – 27 July 2020) was a Lebanese wrestler. He was born in Beirut. At the 1951 Mediterranean Games in Alexandria Egypt, Taha won the silver medal in the 73 kg Greco-Roman wrestling. At the 1952 Summer Oly ...
was a bronze medal winner in the
1952 Helsinki Olympics The 1952 Summer Olympics (, ), officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad (, ) and commonly known as Helsinki 1952, were an international multi-sport event held from 19 July to 3 August 1952 in Helsinki, Finland. After Japan declared in ...
in
Greco-Roman wrestling Greco-Roman (American English), Graeco-Roman (British English), or classic wrestling (Euro-English) is a style of wrestling that is practiced worldwide. Greco-Roman wrestling was included in the first modern Olympic Games in 1896 and has been i ...
, while
Zakaria Chihab Zakaria Chihab (5 March 1926 – November 1984) was a Lebanese wrestler. At the 1952 Summer Olympics The 1952 Summer Olympics (, ), officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad (, ) and commonly known as Helsinki 1952, were an ...
won the silver. In 1980,
Hassan Bechara Hassan Ali Bechara (March 17, 1945 – July 24, 2017) was a Lebanese wrestler. At the 1980 Summer Olympics, at the age of 35, he won the bronze medal in the men's Greco-Roman Super Heavyweight category. He was born in Beirut Beirut ...
won the bronze medal at the
1980 Summer Olympics The 1980 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXII Olympiad () and officially branded as Moscow 1980 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 19 July to 3 August 1980 in Moscow, Soviet Union, in present-day Russ ...
in Moscow.


Martial arts

Martial arts Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defence; military and law enforcement applications; combat sport, competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; ...
are also combat sports in Lebanon.


Equine sports

The
Beirut Hippodrome Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, is home to two hippodromes, a historic one from the Ancient Rome, Roman era and a modern one that was built in the late 19th century. Roman Hippodrome of Beirut The Circus (building), Roman Hippodrome, which occup ...
, a horse-racing facility built in 1885, is once again operating after years of neglect during the war. Additionally, private clubs have been established in Lebanon, such as The Lebanese Equestrian Club (CHL) also known as ''Club Hippique Libanais'', the Buldozer


Mountain sports

Hiking,
trekking Backpacking is the outdoor recreation of carrying gear on one's back while hiking for more than a day. It is often an extended journey and may involve camping outdoors. In North America, tenting is common, where simple shelters and mountain hu ...
and
mountain biking Mountain biking (MTB) is a sport of riding bicycles off-road, often over rough terrain, usually using specially designed mountain bikes. Mountain bikes share similarities with other bikes but incorporate features designed to enhance durability ...
are sports in the summer when ski lifts can be used to access some of Lebanon's trails, with views stretching as far as
Cyprus Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...
to the west and
Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...
to the east. The
Lebanon Mountain Trail The Lebanon Mountain Trail (LMT; ) is a Long-distance trail, long-distance hiking trail in Lebanon. It extends from Andaket in north of Lebanon to Marjayoun in the south along a path that transects more than 76 towns and villages at alti ...
is Lebanon's first national long-distance hiking trail that covers 440 km and passes through 75 villages, starting in the north and trecking over
Mount Lebanon Mount Lebanon (, ; , ; ) is a mountain range in Lebanon. It is about long and averages above in elevation, with its peak at . The range provides a typical alpine climate year-round. Mount Lebanon is well-known for its snow-covered mountains, ...
until it terminates in the south of Lebanon. The Baskinta Literary Trail, 24-km long, offers hikers a chance to discover 22 literary landmarks related to Lebanese literary figures.
Cross-country running Cross country running is a sport in which teams and individuals run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain such as dirt or grass. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open cou ...
,
rock climbing Rock climbing is a climbing sports discipline that involves ascending climbing routes, routes consisting of natural rock in an outdoor environment, or on artificial resin climbing walls in a mostly indoor environment. Routes are documented in c ...
, and
caving Caving, also known as spelunking (United States and Canada) and potholing (United Kingdom and Ireland), is the recreational pastime of exploring wild cave systems (as distinguished from show caves). In contrast, speleology is the scientific ...
are also practiced across Mount Lebanon.


Racquet sports


Tennis

According to the 13th century French tale, ''L'histoire d'Apollonius de Tyr'', the Stoic philosopher and
Phoenicia Phoenicians were an Ancient Semitic-speaking peoples, ancient Semitic group of people who lived in the Phoenician city-states along a coastal strip in the Levant region of the eastern Mediterranean, primarily modern Lebanon and the Syria, Syrian ...
n king,
Apollonius of Tyre Apollonius of Tyre is the hero of a short ancient novel, popular in the Middle Ages. Existing in numerous forms in many languages, all are thought to derive from an ancient Greek version now lost. Plot summary In most versions, the eponymous ...
was the oldest tennis player and champion on record, albeit fictional. In reality,
Lawn tennis Tennis is a List of racket sports, racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles (tennis), singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles (tennis), doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket st ...
did not come to Lebanon until 1889 when it was first introduced in the village of
Brummana Broummana () is a town in the Matn District of the Mount Lebanon Governorate in Lebanon. It is located east of Beirut, overlooking the capital and the Mediterranean. Broummana has long been a summer destination for visitors and locals. It is also ...
.
Ainab Ainab (), is a town on the western slopes of Mount Lebanon overlooking Beirut. It is in the Aley District of the Mount Lebanon Governorate from Beirut, on the road South from Aley. History In 1838, Eli Smith noted the place, called Ainab'', lo ...
was one of the first villages in Lebanon to have a tennis court, which was built by five professors from the
American University of Beirut The American University of Beirut (AUB; ) is a private, non-sectarian, and independent university chartered in New York with its main campus in Beirut, Lebanon. AUB is governed by a private, autonomous board of trustees and offers programs le ...
early in the 20th century. The annual tennis tournament, which was an international event prior to the war, but now mostly a national one, is held at
Brummana High School Brummana High School (BHS, ) is a private school in Lebanon. It is located in the village of Brummana, situated in Metn, Mount Lebanon, east of the capital city Beirut. This school was established in 1873, by the Quaker Theophilus Waldmeier ( ...
in August. Table tennis : Www.lttf.com.lb


Team sports


Association football

Football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
is one of the most popular sports in Lebanon. It is governed by the
Lebanese Football Association The Lebanese Football Association (LFA; ; ) is the governing body of association football in Lebanon. Formed in 1933, it is a member of both FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation, AFC. It is also one of the founding members of the West Asian ...
(LFA). The country's most supported clubs are
Nejmeh Nejmeh Sporting Club () is a football club based in Manara, a neighbourhood in Ras Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon, that competes in the . The club was established in Beirut in 1945, and received its license in 1947. Nejmeh have won nine Lebanese Pre ...
and Ansar, with Ahed gaining popularity in recent years. While the
national team A national sports team (commonly known as a national team or a national side) is a team that represents a nation, rather than a particular club or region, in an international sport. The term is most commonly associated with team sports, for exa ...
has never qualified for the
FIFA World Cup The FIFA World Cup, often called the World Cup, is an international association football competition among the senior List of men's national association football teams, men's national teams of the members of the FIFA, Fédération Internatio ...
, they first participated in the
2000 AFC Asian Cup The 2000 AFC Asian Cup was the 12th edition of the men's AFC Asian Cup, a quadrennial international football tournament organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). The finals were held in Lebanon between 12 and 29 October 2000. Japan def ...
, as hosts. Lebanon's first participation through regular qualification came in the
2019 AFC Asian Cup The 2019 AFC Asian Cup (or commonly called the Asian Cup 2019) was the 17th edition of the men's AFC Asian Cup, the quadrennial international association football, football championship of Asia organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) ...
, in which they narrowly missed out on the knock-out stages by the fair-play rule. They finished third once in the
Arab Cup The FIFA Arab Cup (), or Arab Cup, is an international association football competition organized by FIFA. It is held every four years with the participation of senior men's national teams of the Union of Arab Football Associations (UAFA), ...
, twice in the
Pan Arab Games The Arab Games (), also known as the Pan-Arab Games, are a regional multi-sport event held between nations from the Arab world. They are organized by the Union of Arab National Olympic Committees. The first Games took place in 1953 in Alexandr ...
, and once in the
Mediterranean Games The Mediterranean Games is a multi-sport event organised by the International Committee of Mediterranean Games (CIJM). It is held every four years among athletes from countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea in Africa, Asia and Europe. The fi ...
, in all four instances as hosts. The top division of the
Lebanese football league system The Lebanese football league system (), also known as the Lebanese football pyramid, is a series of League system, interconnected leagues for men's association football clubs in Lebanon. The system has a hierarchical format with promotion and rele ...
is the
Lebanese Premier League The Lebanese First Division (), commonly known as the Lebanese Premier League (), is the top division of the Lebanese football league system. Established in 1934 and organized by the Lebanese Football Association (LFA), the Lebanese Premier Leagu ...
, in which 12 teams compete. Cup competitions include the
Lebanese FA Cup The Lebanon Cup (), commonly known as the Lebanese FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in domestic Lebanese football. In the first FA Cup final, held on 26 June 1938, Nahda beat Hilmi-Sport 3–2 in the replay (after drawing 1� ...
, the national domestic cup competition, the
Lebanese Super Cup The Lebanese Super Cup () is Lebanese football's annual match contested between the champions of the previous Lebanese Premier League season and the holders of the Lebanese FA Cup. If the Lebanese Premier League champions also won the Lebanese FA ...
, held between the winner of the league and the FA Cup, and the
Lebanese Federation Cup The Lebanese Federation Cup () is an annual cup competition in men's domestic football in Lebanon. Organised by the Lebanese Football Association (LFA), it serves as the domestic league cup to the Lebanese Premier League and is contested before ...
, a pre-season tournament in which the Lebanese Premier League teams compete. In
2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...
, Nejmeh became the first team from Lebanon to reach the final of the
AFC Cup The AFC Champions League Two (abbreviated as the ACL Two or ACL2) is an annual continental club football competition organised by the Asian Football Confederation. It is the second-tier competition of Asian club football, ranked below the AFC C ...
. However, they lost to Al-Faisaly 4–2 on aggregate. After beating
April 25 Events Pre-1600 * 404 BC – Admiral Lysander and King Pausanias of Sparta blockade Athens and bring the Peloponnesian War to a successful conclusion. * 775 – The Battle of Bagrevand puts an end to an Armenian rebellion against th ...
in the final of the
2019 AFC Cup The 2019 AFC Cup was the 16th edition of the AFC Cup, Asia's secondary club football tournament organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). Al-Ahed from Lebanon won the title for the first time, defeating April 25 from North Korea in ...
, Ahed became the first Lebanese team to win the competition.


Basketball

Basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...
is one of the most popular sports in Lebanon. In basketball, the main federation is the Lebanese Basketball Federation it's a member of
FIBA Asia FIBA Asia is a zone within the FIBA, International Basketball Federation (FIBA) which contains Asian FIBA member associations. Sub-zones 44 member associations in 6 sub-zones: # Central Asia Basketball Association (CABA) – 5 member associati ...
. The first time basketball was played was in the mid-1920s. The Lebanon national basketball team has qualified three consecutive times to the FIBA World Championship in
2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...
,
2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...
,
2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...
and ranked 24th in the world and the women national team is ranked 61st in the world. Lebanon owns its own basketball league:
Lebanese Basketball League The Lebanese Basketball League is recognized as the top-tier professional men's basketball list of basketball leagues, league in Lebanon. It is organized annually as a national championship with playoffs and a national cup by the Lebanese Basketb ...
for men and women in addition to the Lebanese Basketball Cup. Famous basketball players include: *From Lebanon:
Fadi El Khatib Fadi El Khatib (; born 1 January 1979), nicknamed the "Lebanese Tiger", and "Abu Jihad" is a Lebanese basketball player for Sagesse SC of the Lebanese Basketball League. El Khatib played for several teams in the Lebanese Basketball League, and a ...
and
Elie Mechantaf Elie Mechantaf (; born in Beirut, Lebanon on October 5, 1970) is a retired Lebanese professional basketball player. He started his basketball career in the Cypriot Basketball League, before becoming the captain of the Lebanese Hekmeh BC (Sagess ...
*From the
Lebanese diaspora Lebanese diaspora refers to Lebanese migrants and their descendants who emigrated from Lebanon and now reside in other countries. There are more people of Lebanese origin (15,4 million) living outside Lebanon than within the country (6 mill ...
:
Rony Seikaly Ronald Fred Seikaly (born May 10, 1965) is a Lebanese-American former professional basketball player. He was one of the first internationally born players to make an impact on American basketball. Considered one of the top college players from ...
,
Brian Beshara Brian Anthony Beshara (Feghali) (born 30 December 1977) is a former Lebanese basketball player. Beshara was also a member of the Lebanese national basketball team. At 6'8", he was Lebanon's starting forward and played an important role on both th ...
and
Matt Freije Matthew Wayne Freije (born October 2, 1981) is a Lebanese/ American former professional basketball player. Freije attended Shawnee Mission West High School in Overland Park, Kansas before attending Vanderbilt University where he was an All-SEC ...
*Naturalized Lebanese players from the United States:
Joe Vogel Joseph Vogel can refer to: * Joseph Vogel (author), American author, scholar and popular culture critic * Joseph Vogel (executive) (1895–1969), American film studio executive * Joe Vogel (basketball) (born 1973), American / Lebanese basketball pla ...
and
Jackson Vroman Jackson Brett Vroman (June 6, 1981 – June 29, 2015) was an American-born Lebanese professional basketball player who starred at Iowa State University. Mr. Vroman was naturalized as a Lebanese citizen to play for the Lebanon national basketbal ...


Futsal

The Lebanese play mini football which is very similar or identical to
futsal Futsal is a variant of association football played between two teams of five players each on a court smaller than a football pitch. Its rules are based on the Laws of the Game (association football), Laws of the Game of association football, and i ...
. The
Lebanon national futsal team The Lebanon national futsal team (; ) represents Lebanon in international futsal competitions. Nicknamed "the Cedars", the team is controlled by the Lebanese Football Association (LFA). Lebanon has yet to participate in the FIFA Futsal World Cu ...
represents Lebanon in international futsal competitions and is controlled by the Futsal Commission of the Federation Libanaise de Football Association. In December 2007, Lebanon ranked 34 in the Futsal World Ranking, the sixth highest ranking Asian team that year. In 2010, Lebanon ranked 41 and in 2011, the country ranked 48.


Rugby league

Rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as rugby league in English-speaking countries and rugby 13/XIII in non-Anglophone Europe, is a contact sport, full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular Rugby league playin ...
is a sport in Lebanon. The Lebanese Rugby League Federation is based in Safra in Lebanon. They are Full Members of the Rugby League European Federation and also Full Members of the Rugby League International Federation. The
Lebanon national rugby league team The Lebanon national rugby league team (, ) represents Lebanon in rugby league football. Nicknamed "the Cedars" after the Cedrus libani, Lebanese cedar tree, the team was formed by Lebanese Australians in 1997 and have been administered by the L ...
qualified and played in the
2000 Rugby League World Cup The 2000 Rugby League World Cup was the twelfth Rugby League World Cup, World Cup for men’s national rugby league teams, held between 28 October and 25 November and hosted between the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, Ireland and France. ...
, and nearly qualified for the
2008 Rugby League World Cup The 2008 Rugby League World Cup was the thirteenth World Cup for men’s rugby league national teams. It was held between 26 October and 22 November and was won by New Zealand, who defeated Australia 34–20 in the final in one of the greatest ...
, but were beaten by
Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa and known until 1997 as Western Samoa, is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania, in the South Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu), two smaller, inhabited ...
in their final game. In 2011, Lebanon again nearly qualified for the
2013 Rugby League World Cup The 2013 Rugby League World Cup was the fourteenth World Cup for men’s national rugby league teams. It took place between the 26 October and 30 November and was hosted by England and Wales (although some games were played in France and Ire ...
but lost to
Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
who became the 14th and final nation to qualify for the event. In 2015 they finally qualified for the
2017 Rugby League World Cup The 2017 Rugby League World Cup was the fifteenth staging of the Rugby League World Cup tournament and took place in Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea between 27 October and 2 December 2017. The tournament featured the national teams ...
, for what was just their second World Cup, after beating
South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...
2–0 in a 2-match qualifying play-off held in Pretoria. The Lebanon Rugby League ("LRL") National Championship is the leading domestic rugby league competition in Lebanon, and consists of 4 clubs (''Tripoli City RLFC, Immortals RLFC, Jounieh RLFC and Wolves FC''). The second tier of competition, known as the Collegiate Rugby League ("CRL") National Championship, consists of teams representing Lebanese universities and institutes of higher learning. The CRL is divided into two Divisions based upon longevity & success of the institution's Rugby League programme, and the CRL: Playoffs converge into a single CRL Finals Series. Rugby League is popular amongst Lebanese schools, with regional Schools Rugby League ("SRL") championships held in "''North Lebanon''" and also in "''Beirut & Mount Lebanon''" regions, where the winners (''aka: "Premiers"'') of each region face off to be crowned the "National Champion"; contested at both U14s and U16s level. Lebanon has also sent schools to compete in regional international schools tournaments, and has hosted junior international sides from throughout the Middle East/North Africa region.


Rugby union

Rugby union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...
in Lebanon dates back to the French colonial period.


Touch football

Touch Football is a sport in Lebanon. In 1998,
Lebanese Australians Lebanese Australians () refers to citizens or permanent residents of Australia of Lebanese people, Lebanese ancestry. The population is diverse, having a large Christianity in Lebanon, Christian religious base, being mostly Lebanese Maronite C ...
founded the ''Lebanon Touch Football Association''.


Volleyball

Volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...
has some popularity in Lebanon where there is a professional volleyball league. This team sport was introduced to Lebanon through foreign schools after the
First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
in 1918. In the 1920s, it spreads in some schools, namely the Sacré Coeur, Al Makassed and La Sagesse and in some universities such as the
Saint Joseph University Saint Joseph University of Beirut (; French: ''Université Saint-Joseph de Beyrouth'', commonly known as USJ) is a private Catholic research university in Beirut, Lebanon, founded in 1875 by French Jesuit missionaries and subsidized by the Go ...
(USJ) and the
American University of Beirut The American University of Beirut (AUB; ) is a private, non-sectarian, and independent university chartered in New York with its main campus in Beirut, Lebanon. AUB is governed by a private, autonomous board of trustees and offers programs le ...
(AUB). In 1973, the Lebanese government signed a sport's cooperation treaty with the
USSR The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
to have Soviet coaches train the Lebanese national volleyball team. Lebanon has competed in international volleyball events. In 1952,
Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...
defeated Lebanon 3–0 and then lost to Lebanon 3–2 in the World Volleyball Championships in Moscow.


Water sports

Swimming,
water skiing Water skiing (also waterskiing or water-skiing) is a surface water sport in which an individual is pulled behind a boat or a cable ski installation over a body of water, skimming the surface on one or two skis. The sport requires sufficien ...
,
yachting Yachting is recreational boating activities using medium/large-sized boats or small ships collectively called yachts. Yachting is distinguished from other forms of boating mainly by the priority focus on comfort and luxury, the dependence on ma ...
,
sailing Sailing employs the wind—acting on sails, wingsails or kites—to propel a craft on the surface of the ''water'' (sailing ship, sailboat, raft, Windsurfing, windsurfer, or Kitesurfing, kitesurfer), on ''ice'' (iceboat) or on ''land'' (Land sa ...
,
scuba diving Scuba diving is a Diving mode, mode of underwater diving whereby divers use Scuba set, breathing equipment that is completely independent of a surface breathing gas supply, and therefore has a limited but variable endurance. The word ''scub ...
, and
windsurfing Windsurfing is a wind-propelled water sport that is a combination of sailing and surfing. It is also referred to as "sailboarding" and "boardsailing", and emerged in the late 1960s from the Californian aerospace and surf culture. Windsurfing gain ...
are practiced along the Mediterranean coast of Lebanon, especially between Beirut and Tripoli.


Diving

Diving Diving most often refers to: * Diving (sport), the sport of jumping into deep water * Underwater diving, human activity underwater for recreational or occupational purposes Diving or Dive may also refer to: Sports * Dive (American football), ...
is a sport in Lebanon with wrecks to explore.


Water skiing

Lebanese water skier Silvio Chiha snagged the gold medal at the Asia-Australasia Oceania (AAO) water skiing championship that happened in 2012 in Chuncheon, South Korea. ailyStar An international water ski championship was held in the
Saint George Bay Saint George Bay (), also known as the Bay of Beirut, is located on the northern coast of the city of Beirut in Lebanon. The Beirut River empties into the bay. Etymology The bay is named after Saint George, a popular saint among Christian s ...
in Beirut, beginning in 1955, but the event was discontinued at the beginning of the war. *
Fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment (Freshwater ecosystem, freshwater or Marine ecosystem, marine), but may also be caught from Fish stocking, stocked Body of water, ...
*
Jet skiing A personal watercraft (PWC), also called Jet Ski or water scooter, is a primarily recreational watercraft that is designed to hold only a small number of occupants, who sit or stand on top of the craft, not within the craft as in a boat. P ...
* Sailing *
Snorkeling Snorkeling (American and British English spelling differences#Doubled in British English, British and Commonwealth English spelling: snorkelling) is the practice of human swimming, swimming face down on or through a body of water while breathing ...
* Wind surfing


Wake boarding


Weightlifting

In the
1972 Summer Olympics The 1972 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad () and officially branded as Munich 1972 (; ), were an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from 26 August to 11 September 1972. It was the ...
in
Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...
, Mohamed Traboulsi won the silver medal, in addition to many gold medals in continental and regional championships."Sport in the USSR," S''oviet Union magazine,'' 1974


Winter sports

Lebanon has six ski resorts, with slopes for skiers and
snowboarders Snowboards are boards where the user places both feet, usually secured, to the same board. The board itself is wider than most skis, with the ability to glide on snow."snowboarding." Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Random House, Inc. 17 Mar ...
. Off-slope, there are opportunities for
cross-country skiing Cross-country skiing is a form of skiing whereby skiers traverse snow-covered terrain without use of ski lifts or other assistance. Cross-country skiing is widely practiced as a sport and recreational activity; however, some still use it as a m ...
,
snowshoeing Snowshoes are specialized outdoor gear for walking over snow. Their large footprint spreads the user's weight out and allows them to travel largely on top of rather than through snow. Adjustable bindings attach them to appropriate winter footw ...
, and
snowmobiling A snowmobile, also known as a snowmachine (chiefly Alaskan), motor sled (chiefly Canadian), motor sledge, skimobile, snow scooter, or simply a sled is a motorized vehicle designed for winter travel and recreation on snow. Their engines normally ...
.


Skiing


See also

*
Rangers Sports Events (Lebanon) The Rangers Sports Events are sports events organized yearly in Lebanon by the Rangers Regiment of the Lebanese army. The events aim to explore Lebanon's mountains and beauty, promote Lebanon's touristic image by making the events as International ...
*
Lebanon at the Olympics The Lebanese Olympic Committee was formed in 1947 and recognized by the International Olympic Committee in 1948. Lebanon participated at the inaugural Olympic Games in 1948, and has competed in all but one Summer Olympic Games since then. Lebanon ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sport in Lebanon