The Lebanese team shone in China with their outstanding results in judo, swimming and fencing.
The Lebanese delegation participated in the opening ceremony of the nineteenth Asian Games hosted by the city of Hangzhou, China. The Lebanese flag soared in the sky of this city among the flags of 45 other countries from the Asian continent during the event’s grand parade. This event, which is of great importance, comes after the Olympic Games and was held at the Olympic Stadium “Big Lotus.”
The ceremony was attended by the Chinese President Xi Jinping, the acting head of the Indian Asian Olympic Council Randhir Singh, political and Olympic leaders, as well as a massive crowd. Its proceedings were broadcasted worldwide through Chinese and international television channels and Arab satellite channels.
The Lebanese delegation was represented in the parade by the head of the delegation, Executive member of the Olympic Committee Mr. Amin Sada, while the Lebanese flag was carried by Taekwondo athlete Leticia Aoun and swimmer Mondar Kabara. Applause for the athletes echoed as they passed by the official podium.
The head of the delegation, Amin Sada, praised the beauty and magnificence of the ceremony, considering it one of the most prominent opening celebrations for continental, international and Olympic events. He highlighted the Lebanese participation in the tournament through the best possible delegation to confirm their presence, which the Lebanese Olympic Committee has been striving for despite all the challenges.
The first technical results of the Lebanese delegation on the first day of competition were through Judo player Joe Haddad (66 kg), who competed in his first match against the Bhutanese player Kinley Tshering and won. However, he lost his second match against the Kazakhstani player Gousman Kirgizbayev, who is ranked 20th globally. He was thus eliminated from the competition.
The Judo team coach, François Sada, stated that the matches for his team’s athletes will not be easy since they are facing world champions. However, there is no impossibility in achieving a medal, especially by Elias Nassif and Sagay Bov Karamnob, whose level is on par with many Asian and world champions. The match draw will also influence the results.
In swimming, Mondar Kabara competed in the 200-meter individual medley with a time of 2 minutes and 2.99 seconds, improving his previous time of 2 minutes and 4.63 seconds. He finished 11th out of 30 swimmers, expressing his hope for better results in the 400-meter individual medley and 200-meter breaststroke competitions to be held on Tuesday and Thursday. He expressed his pride and honor in representing his country in the tournament and carrying the Lebanese flag during the opening ceremony.
On the other hand, fencer Philip Wakim competed in the fencing competition, participating in three preliminary matches against athletes from Iraq, India and South Korea. He then advanced to the elimination rounds, where he faced Thai athlete Dejink and won 15-12. However, he lost to Ryan Choi from Hong Kong with a score of 8-15, and as a result, he was eliminated from the competition.
In the competition schedule for Monday, Lebanon will participate in judo with athlete Ghadi Moussa (73 kg) and in the Karate competition for the 81 kg category, as well as Taekwondo with athlete Raphael Qudsi (58 kg).
There is no doubt that the Lebanese national team has shown great resilience in this tournament thus far, cementing its name between the best in these competitions.
