Sport in Lebanon
During autumn and spring it is sometimes possible to engage in both activities on the same day; for example, skiing in the morning and swimming in the afternoon.
[4] Although the Asian Winter Games were under consideration to be held in Lebanon in 2009, they ultimately did not take place.
However, Lebanon entered the world of international motor sport in 2004 with the formation of the Lebanese A1 Grand Prix team that included driver Basil Shaaban, making Lebanon the first Arab nation to participate in the World Cup of Motorsport.
[citation needed] Khalil Taha was a bronze medal winner in the 1952 Helsinki Olympics in Greco-Roman wrestling, while Zakaria Chihab won the silver.
[citation needed] The Beirut Hippodrome, a horse-racing facility built in 1885, is once again operating after years of neglect during the war.
[8] According to the 13th century French tale, L'histoire d'Apollonius de Tyr, the Stoic philosopher and Phoenician king, Apollonius of Tyre was the oldest tennis player and champion on record, albeit fictional.
Ainab was one of the first villages in Lebanon to have a tennis court, which was built by five professors from the American University of Beirut early in the 20th century.
The annual tennis tournament, which was an international event prior to the war, but now mostly a national one, is held at Brummana High School in August.
[12] The country's most supported clubs are Nejmeh and Ansar,[13] with Ahed gaining popularity in recent years.
[15] Lebanon's first participation through regular qualification came in the 2019 AFC Asian Cup,[16] in which they narrowly missed out on the knock-out stages by the fair-play rule.
[21] After beating April 25 in the final of the 2019 AFC Cup, Ahed became the first Lebanese team to win the competition.
[citation needed] Famous basketball players include: The Lebanese play mini football which is very similar or identical to futsal.
The second tier of competition, known as the Collegiate Rugby League ("CRL") National Championship, consists of teams representing Lebanese universities and institutes of higher learning.
[29] Swimming, water skiing, yachting, sailing, scuba diving, and windsurfing are practiced along the Mediterranean coast of Lebanon, especially between Beirut and Tripoli.
