During the “Beirut Sports Festival,” organized by the committee led by Karim Andari, the committee distributed one billion Lebanese pounds in financial grants to several champions and sports unions. The event took place in Gemmayzeh, and notable attendees included MPs Camille Chamoun and Wadah Al-Sadiq, the president of the Olympic Committee, Dr. Pierre Jalkh, Dr. Raja Labaki representing the Minister of Youth and Sports, Dr. George Kalas, heads and members of unions and clubs, various trainers, and representatives from companies and institutions that participated in the first edition.
The national anthem marked the beginning of the event, and the master of ceremonies, George Sweidy, welcomed the attendees, praising the success of the Beirut Sports Festival in its previous edition. He commended the organizing committee, led by Karim Andari, describing him as an “adventurer.” Andari spoke about his experience and the idea of organizing a national sports festival despite the challenging economic situation in Lebanon. He expressed gratitude to everyone who contributed to the success of the significant sports event and announced the second edition to be held in May of the following year.
Andari highlighted the substantial response from sports unions and companies that set up booths during the festival’s four days. He emphasized his commitment to allocating the financial proceeds from the festival’s entrance fees (one dollar per visitor) to support sports unions and champions. He concluded by stating that the second edition would take place about two months before the start of the Summer Olympic Games in Paris the following year.
During the event, Andari distributed financial grants as follows:
- Athletics: Aziza Sbeity, Mark Antony Ibrahim, and Mazen Shareem.
- Triathlon: Ali Al-Zoubi and Lindsay Nader.
- Taekwondo: Andrew Nasr and Rita Jurdi.
- Kung Fu: Ghael Hankech and Jason Apikian.
- Mixed Martial Arts (MMA): Sandra Sakr, Omar Antar, Roy Shqeir, and Adnan Hanqir.
- Fencing: Karen El Masri and Louis Dib.
Additionally, acknowledgments and shields were presented to representatives of various sports federations and associations, with praise for Beirut Sports Festival’s support for Lebanese sports.
Dr. Pierre Jalkh described Karim Andari’s initiative to organize a sports festival in these conditions as “excellent work” benefiting Lebanese sports, expressing joy for future cooperation for the sake of Lebanese sports.
Dr. Ali Hammad, a member of the Mixed Martial Arts Union, conveyed greetings from the union’s president, Mohammed Dagher, who was abroad, appreciating the collaboration with the organizers of the Beirut Sports Festival and thanking them for the financial grants to the champions. He mentioned that the MMA Union would hold a separate event to distribute grants to clubs within its family and its champions.
