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As martial arts spread across Lebanese soil and are practiced with passion by the Lebanese, and as federations and committees for these sports have recently multiplied to 20 and perhaps more, internal disputes between administrators working within federations and clubs have come to the fore. These disputes have become the talk of the town, as those interested in martial arts speak of a “fierce war” that has become more ruthless than ever. Martial arts practitioners are multiplying, championships and competitions are enjoying immense popularity, but all is not rosy within and between certain federations, while others are enjoying peace and tranquility. It’s worth mentioning that there are several martial arts federations and committees, including: taekwondo, judo, wrestling, kung fu, karate, muay-thai, kick-boxing, aikido, hapkido, jet force, vovinam, mixed martial arts, karate kyokushinkaï, shotokan ISKF, jiu-jitsu, boxing, savate and more.
Disputes
According to reliable sources, “While most martial arts federations and committees used to be largely immune to problems and disputes, conflicts are now raging between members of the same sport, as is currently the case within the Kung-Fu Federation, due to a disagreement between Vice-President Naoum Saadé and Secretary General Bassam Nohra following the creation of the “LWAKO” organization chaired by Nohra.
The president of the federation, Dr. Georges Nseir, seems to support Nohra, although he is trying to “bring the two former friends together.”
There is also a dispute between the vice-president of the Muay-Thaï Federation, Hilal Nachar, Roy Mcharafiyé and Raed Abou Chakra, three personalities active in the world of martial arts, and the president of the federation, Grand Master Qablawi (vice-president of the Olympic Committee). Nashar openly announced his candidacy for the presidency of the federation and Qablawi, who greeted the news with a smile, began a series of visits to Muay-Thaï clubs in an attempt to thwart any alliance against him. Although peacemakers have managed to “bridge the gap” between Mixed Martial Arts Federation vice-president Hussein Jazini and federation secretary-general Wissam Abi Nader, thanks to the efforts of federation president Mohammed Dagher and the president of an active Olympic individual sports federation, some expect the reconciliation between the two men to be short-lived.”
It’s worth mentioning the involvement of the director of the “ACS” organization, Riyad Al-Ratal, in particular in the upcoming elections for the Muay-Thaï and kick-boxing federations. He is a young martial arts enthusiast, of whom kick-boxing is a favorite, and Al-Ratal has always claimed to have excellent relations with the president of the kick-boxing federation, Abdel Rahman Al-Rayyes. Sources also report that the newly-formed Vovinam Federation is facing pressure from a senior official of another federation, while the Karate Federation is absent from the sporting scene.
The LWAKO Organization
The sources add that “The ‘LWAKO’ organization, chaired by Nohra as we mentioned, will organize the Arab Cup open to all martial arts styles on June 22 and 23, with the participation of the following sports: taekwondo, kung fu, mixed martial arts (vice-president Hassan Jazini fully supports Bassam Nohra), savate, jet force, vovinam and kempo. Neutral and reliable sources add, “There is a party trying to obstruct the ‘LWAKO’ and its activities, having previously participated in competitions in a ‘tug-of-war’ operation between the two sides and a ‘clash of horns’ between the warring parties, knowing that the kick-boxing, muay-thai and judo federations will not participate in the ‘LWAKO’ event in a move that appears to be led by two people to encircle the leaders of the aforementioned organization and obstruct its progress.”
And just a few days ago, the president of the Muay-Thaï Federation, Sami Qablawi, and the president of the Kick-Boxing Federation, Abdel Rahman Al-Rays, signed a protocol of cooperation between them, which is remarkable. It seems that the protocol is part of the “rope tension” in the martial arts world.
Observation and Participation
For his part, an expert in combat sports affairs declares, “The president of the Judo Federation, lawyer François Saadé (treasurer of the Olympic Committee) is watching from afar. As for the ISKF (shotokan karate) organization chaired by lawyer Fadi Aoun, it has been “singing solo” since its creation and has forged an independent and unique identity, like the kyokushinkaï federation chaired by Samir Chamkha, the aikido federation chaired by Paul Abou Rjeili and the jiu-jitsu federation. The boxing federation, chaired by Mahmoud Hattab, is far from quarrelsome. The savate federation, headed by champion Najib Nasr, will be taking part in the tournament organized by LWAKO, as he has had close ties with Bassam Nohra for several decades.
As for the Taekwondo Federation, chaired by Dr. Habib Zarifeh, its joy is indescribable these days, with the qualification of champion Laetitia Aoun for the Summer Olympics to be held in Paris next summer. He has set up a preparation program for her, with a respectable budget, in the hope of winning a long-awaited Olympic medal for 44 years.
Clashes in martial arts are no longer confined to the ring, but also take place outside it, with each side seeking to form alliances, as if we were witnessing fortunately non-sectarian alignments.
Most federations are gearing up for the next sporting elections, drawing up plans and counter-plans, while some seek to monopolize martial arts decision-making and proclaim themselves “godfathers”. This will not happen because of the increasing number of disputes between many people in the martial arts community, who are unable to unite.
What is required is appeasement in a milieu that will find no one to control it…
