The delegation of the Lebanese university handball team left this morning for the French city of Bordeaux to participate in the World University Handball Championship, which will be held between the 20th and 27th of this month, in Lebanon’s first appearance in the history of this world championship.
The delegation is headed by the Vice President of the Lebanese Universities Sports Federation, Dr. Tariq Assaf, while the team enters the competitions as the sole representative of the Asian continent among a group of the most prominent university teams in the world. This is a step that reflects the development witnessed by Lebanese university sports despite the difficult circumstances that the country is going through.
Lebanon is playing in this tournament as part of a group that includes France, Poland, and Brazil.
More than two months ago, the Lebanese Universities Sports Federation launched a special preparatory program for this participation under the supervision of the Federation’s President, Ziad Saadeh, and the National Teams Director, Coach Maroun Al-Khoury, where the team immersed itself in intensive training and preparatory matches with the aim of reaching the highest levels of readiness before the international competition.
The team is led by national coach Ziad Mansour, with the assistance of coaches Yamen Damj and Michael Abu Jaoude, while Halim Badawi assumes the duties of managing the team, and physical therapist Gary Bashian supervises the medical and rehabilitation aspects.
The Lebanese delegation is looking forward to achieving positive results and leaving a distinctive mark in the tournament, which reflects the ambition of the Lebanese youth and their ability to compete in the largest international sporting forums, which Assaf confirmed by saying: “We are leaving for France bearing the responsibility of representing Lebanon in a tournament that includes the elite of international university teams. This participation is the result of teamwork and great efforts made by the federation, the technical staff and the players over the past months. Despite all the challenges, the Lebanese youth have proven once again their ability to commit, give and compete. We hope to perform. It is fitting for the name of Lebanon that this participation is a first step towards a permanent presence of Lebanese university sports on the international scene.”
