The Lebanese Badminton Federation organized a championship for boys and girls under 11 years old on Saturday, December 16, at the Hops Club in Hazmieh, with the participation of clubs such as Hops Beirut, Al-Jamhour, Club 1875, Mon La Salle, Amal Educational Institutions, Qasir Club, Louaize, Beirut First, Aintoura, and Ansariya.
The matches took place in the presence of the administrative committee of the federation, the president of the federation and deputy president of the International Badminton Federation, Jassem Qanso, the general secretary and development officer in Asia, Paul Rouka, the treasurer and national coach Ali Kuzma, the chief referee and head of the referees committee, Ghaleb Fakih, and members Nicole Shweiry, Samir Shaghoury, and Raoul Anton.
The championship witnessed enthusiastic support from the players’ families and friends, under the supervision of referees Fatima Fakih, Miguel Hassoun, Rudolf Al-Hajj, Ali Shahla, Mirna Hallal, and Jihad Tabaja.
After the end of the matches, the president of the Lebanese Federation, Jassem Qanso, announced a decision declaring all players as winners of the championship as part of the federation’s plan to encourage youth to engage in badminton and promote it across Lebanon.
The federation president expressed his gratitude to all members of the administrative committee for their efforts in organizing the championship, emphasizing that the decision to consider all participants as champions was unanimous. This step aims to motivate young boys and girls to continue playing badminton in the long run. Qanso praised the exceptional level of the boys and girls who participated, expressing his happiness with the performance they displayed and encouraging them to continue playing badminton, regardless of the results they achieved.
In conclusion, Qanso called on all sports federations to take similar initiatives to encourage young athletes to develop in their sports and contribute to supporting Lebanese sports.
Finally, the administrative committee of the federation distributed gold medals to boys and girls under 11 years old, and commemorative photos were taken with the participants as a token of appreciation for their participation in the championship.
