Lebanon won the Arab Cup of Ice Hockey by beating Kuwait (9-4) in the match between the two teams in Kuwait on Sunday in the final of the competition.

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The Lebanese ice hockey team was crowned Arab champion on Sunday by easily disposing of Kuwait (9-4) in the final match of the competition.

A large number of Lebanese people were previously unaware of the existence of a national team in this discipline, which made their suprise at seeing this team win a regional competition even greater.

However, Charles el-Mir, the dynamic president of the Lebanese Federation of this sport is not surprised by this victory. “Ice hockey, a sport little known in Lebanon, is however well and truly present in the country of the Cedar,” he confides exclusively to This is Beirut. “This sport is gradually gaining notoriety in recent years,” he continues. Indeed, thanks to his relentless efforts in favor of the development of this sport in Lebanon, Charles el-Mir succeeded in the challenge of obtaining a license from the Ministry of Youth and Sports in 2018, before joining the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) in 2019 and joining the Lebanese Olympic Committee in 2020.

“We are now reaping the fruits of our efforts,” Charles el-Mir emphasizes. “A tremendous progress has been made in the development of the Lebanese national teams that train in Canada.”

Organized by Kuwait, the Arab Ice Hockey Cup brought together eight nations, including Lebanon, for ten days.

Lebanon HockeyThe national ice hockey team, led by Gregg Kennedy (coach) and Ricardo Tabet (manager), was composed of : Antoine Waked (right wing), Karl el-Mir (center), Said Abi Faisal (left wing), Jason Daraiche (center), Zakaria Jomaa (right wing), Alexander Mourani (left wing), Omar Mullan (right wing), Joshua Eid (center), Alexander Hamdan (left wing), Alexander Vettraino (left wing), Noah Jomaa (center), Easton Sottile (right wing), Michael Shara (defense), Zachary Choueiri (defense), Matthew Leon (defense), Joseph Eid (defense), Akram Jomaa (defense), Christopher Issa (defense), Gabriel Waked (goalkeeper) and Issam Ghotmeh (goalkeeper). All of them are natives of Lebanon, but some of them live in the United States, Canada and France.

Lebanon won the trophy by winning all its matches, finishing the tournament undefeated.

Canada, home of ice hockey

Most of the federation’s leaders have lived in Canada for many years and have succeeded in anchoring ice hockey, sponsoring the sport and forming a national team in Canada, whose players are very proud of their Lebanese roots. “Ice hockey is like a religion in Canada,” says El-Mir.

Ice hockey is a very popular sport in Canada and is considered one of the country’s most important cultural elements. Since the early 1900s, ice hockey has been played by millions of Canadians, from young children to professionals, and has become an important symbol of Canadian identity. So much so that the sport has contributed to Canada’s economic development. Canada’s professional field hockey teams attract millions of spectators each year, and the sport generates billions of dollars in revenue for the country’s economy. The sport also serves as a catalyst for tourism, travel and the leisure industry.

In short, ice hockey is more than just a sport to Canadians, it is a founding element of their culture. “We’re not there yet,” says Charles el-Mir with a smile. “That said, I am extremely happy with this historic victory. The main obstacle to the development of this sport in Lebanon is the absence of an ice rink,” adds the president of the Lebanese Federation, who has been living in Canada for 41 years. “A field hockey rink could make the Lebanese interested in this sport and encourage them to play it, which is crucial,” says Charles el-Mir. “The construction of one or more rinks will allow Lebanon to host international competitions in the future. Our ambition is to build an outdoor rink in the Lebanese mountains,” concludes Charles el-Mir.