- 29
- Dec.
- 2024
The elections of the administrative committees of the Lebanese sports federations are ongoing. The process started last September before being interrupted due to the war. The Minister of Youth and Sports, Dr. Georges Kallas, took the decision to suspend the elections before authorizing them again after the end of the war.
The Olympic elections began early in September with the elections of the skiing and biathlon federation, which resulted in the re-election of Freddy Keyrouz for a second term as head of the federation, following a lopsided electoral “battle.” The elections of the cycling federation, chaired by Misak Najarian, were appealed to the courts, which decided to temporarily suspend their effects, with some even talking of the possibility of new elections in the near future, following a no-confidence motion submitted by several clubs.
With the intensification of the war, the elections were interrupted until December 17. They resumed with the election by acclamation of the judo federation, presided over by François Saade, who thus retained the “old guard” within his administrative committee. His son, François Saade Junior, is expected to take on an important role within the federation in the near future. François Saade was first elected to head the judo federation in 1994 when it split up.
The elections continued with the reelection of Jihad Salameh by acclamation for a second term at the head of the fencing federation, in a calm and serene manner. This positions Salameh for a prominent sports role in early 2025.
The tennis federation also elected Alain Sayegh as president by acclamation. He previously served as the federation's secretary-general between 2016 and 2020. Sayegh's election as federation president follows the decision of his predecessor, Oliver Fayssal, who successfully presided over the federation for two consecutive terms (2016-2024), not to run for a third term. Fayssal's two terms at the head of the federation were marked by numerous successes for tennis, notably in the Davis Cup, in which Lebanon reached its highest levels. It is now preparing to face Peru next February in Cairo, with the winner advancing to World Group I, the group of the world's elite countries. Notably, Michel Elie Salameh, born in 2002, was elected secretary-general of the tennis federation. He is the youngest member of a Lebanese federation.
Oliver Fayssal was also elected honorary president of the federation for life, a decision initiated by Mont La Salle club president Jihad Salameh.
The first “battle” of the 2024 Olympic federation elections took place within the athletics federation as two lists faced off. The first complete 9-candidate list was headed by Roland Saade (elected president in 2012, 2016 and 2020), while the second incomplete 5-candidate list was headed by Rainier Jreissati. Saade's list won the election with a score of 9-0, in a peaceful and democratic electoral process, allowing Saade to be elected for a fourth consecutive term as president of the federation.
Meanwhile, the swimming federation elections led to the reelection of Dr. Tony Nassar by acclamation for a third term, continuing his leadership from 2016 and 2020, with his slate also elected by acclamation.
Jack Tamer was also elected president of the archery federation and was received with acclamation.
Regarding the Basketball Federation, Akram Halabi's list was acclaimed, which is rare in the basketball world.
Halabi was elected president for the first time in 2018.
A notable event took place at the general assembly of the gymnastics federation (12 clubs), which was marked by sharp tensions during last Monday's session. This led to the session’s cancellation in order to convene a second one the following Monday (December 30), with early signs of a “battle” between a list headed by Jawdat Chaker and another headed by Mohammad Makki.
Most federation elections have been completed by acclamation, with “battles” in the athletics and gymnastics federations, and another one expected in the volleyball federation on Sunday. January will bring further electoral challenges within the federations, concluding on February 2 with the table tennis federation elections, before preparations begin for the 14-member Olympic Executive Committee elections.
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