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Restoration efforts are underway at the Camille Chamoun Sports City Stadium, the home of Lebanon’s largest football stadium, following a collaborative agreement between Lebanon and Egypt.
A delegation of specialized engineers, accompanied by representatives from the Lebanese Ministry of Youth and Sports and the football federation, visited the Camille Chamoun Sports City Stadium on Monday to conduct a thorough assessment of the damaged facility.
This visit follows a meeting in Cairo between the Lebanese Minister of Youth and Sports, Dr. George Kallas, and his Egyptian counterpart, Dr. Ashraf Sobhy. During the meeting, Dr. Sobhy committed to renovating the stadium’s playing surface, prompting the immediate deployment of the technical team to Beirut.
The team of engineers, experts in stadium maintenance, covered various areas including the playing surface, locker rooms, indoor facilities and irrigation systems. They conducted a detailed field tour, collecting soil samples and inspecting the infrastructure to evaluate its current condition.
In an interview with This is Beirut, Hussein Omar, the Director of the Minister’s Office, stated that “the study will continue over the next two to three days with detailed field tours to thoroughly assess the stadium’s needs.”
He emphasized that an upcoming report will be divided into two sections and presented upon the arrival of the Egyptian delegation. “The first section will focus on facility maintenance and electricity, managed by the Ministry of Youth and Sports along with the Football Federation. The second section will focus on the playing field’s condition, under the Egyptian Ministry’s oversight,” Omar noted.
Furthermore, he revealed that arrangements have been made with a company to provide and maintain electricity for the stadium.
Despite its current condition, the Camille Chamoun Sports City Stadium remains a critical venue for athletes, including track and field athletes. It is the only stadium in Beirut with a 400m track, essential for athletes aiming to qualify for the Olympics.
The initiative aims to breathe new life into the stadium, which has suffered from years of neglect and damage following several tragedies, including the 2020 Beirut port explosion.
This joint effort marks a promising chapter for Lebanese sports, offering hope for the restoration of a facility designed to host a variety of activities, from football and track to basketball.
