Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. As of 2014, Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coast. Beirut has been inhabited for more than 5,000 years, and was one of Phoenicia's most prominent city states, making it one of the oldest cities in the world. The first historical mention of Beirut is found in the Amarna letters from the New Kingdom of Egypt, which date to the 14th century BC.
World Rugby is the world governing body for the sport of rugby union. World Rugby organises the Rugby World Cup every four years, the sport's most recognised and most profitable competition. It also organises a number of other international rugby competitions, such as the World Rugby Sevens Series, the Rugby World Cup Sevens, the World Under 20 Championship, and the Pacific Nations Cup.
Football is the most popular sport in Lebanon. It was introduced to Lebanon in the late-19th century, becoming particularly popular among teachers and students Christian schools. The Lebanese Football Association (LFA) was formed in 1933 as one of the earliest administrative bodies for association football in the Middle East. The Lebanon national team made its unofficial debut in 1935 against Romanian club CA Timișoara (T.A.C.), while their first official FIFA game was in 1940 against Mandatory Palestine.
Moussa Ali Hojeij is a Lebanese football manager and former player who is the head coach of Lebanese Premier League club Safa.
The culture of Lebanon and the Lebanese people emerged from various civilizations over thousands of years. It was home to the Phoenicians and was subsequently conquered and occupied by the Assyrians, the Greeks, the Romans, the Persians, the Arabs, the Crusaders, the Ottoman Turks and the French. This variety is reflected in Lebanon's diverse population, composed of different religious groups, and features in the country's festivals, literature, artifacts, cuisine and architecture of Lebanon. Tourism in Lebanon is popular with periods of interruption during conflict.
May Chidiac is a journalist and former Lebanese Minister of State for Administrative Development.
The Arabian Gulf rugby union team was a combined team of players that represented the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council in international rugby union competitions. The team competed in international matches between 1993 and 2010, and was governed by the Arabian Gulf Rugby Football Union (AGRFU). Associate members were Egypt, Lebanon and Jordan.
The Pakistan Rugby Union (PRU) is the rugby union governing body in Pakistan. It is in charge of the Pakistan national team. Also among the Union's chief activities are conferences, organising international matches, and educating and training players and officials.
Asia Rugby, formerly the Asian Rugby Football Union (ARFU), is the governing body of rugby union in Asia under the authority of World Rugby. Founded in 1968 by eight charter nations, the Union today has 36 member unions in countries across Asia, stretching from Kazakhstan to Guam.
Joumana Haddad is a Lebanese author, public speaker, journalist and human rights activist. She has been selected as one of the world’s 100 most powerful Arab women by Arabian Business Magazine for her cultural and social activism. In 2021, she was on Apolitical's list of 100 most influential people in Gender Policy. She is founder of Jasad, a quarterly Arabic-language magazine specialized in the arts and literature of the body (2009–2011). Haddad launched a new TV show in November 2018 on Alhurra highlighting the topics of free expression and critical thinking. In September 2019, she founded a youth centered NGO in Beirut called the Joumana Haddad Freedoms Center. In February 2020, in partnership with the Institut Français in Lebanon, she launched the first International Feminisms Festival in the Middle East with a group of local and international co-organizers.
Because of Lebanon's unique geography, both summer and winter sports thrive in the country. In fact, 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.
Lebanon–Russia relations are the bilateral relations between the Lebanese Republic and the Russian Federation. Lebanon has an embassy in Moscow. Russia has an embassy in Beirut. Both states have cordial relations.
Rugby union was first introduced into Lebanon both by the mandated French forces, and subsequently by the Lebanese returning from the diaspora. Introduced into many other parts of the Middle East, by the British military in the mid 20th Century, rugby has begun to develop across the Arabian peninsula with the establishment of many national rugby federations and the development of the Dubai Sevens, which has helped generate interest in the sport in Arabic-speaking nations.
The Lebanese National Rugby Union team have yet to make their debut at the Rugby World Cup. Lebanon played their first test match against Jordan on 14 May 2010 in Dubai The Phoenix currently competes in the Asian Rugby Football Union's, Asian Rugby Championship in Division Three West. In November 2018 Lebanon Rugby attained World Rugby Associate Membership.
The 2011 Lebanese protests, also known as the Intifada of Dignity or Uprising of Dignity were seen as influenced by the Arab Spring. The main protests focused on calls for political reform especially against confessionalism in Lebanon. The protests initiated in early 2011, and dimmed by the end of the year. In another aspect of the Arab Spring, Lebanese pro and anti-Assad factions descended into sectarian violence, which culminated in May–June 2012.
Mohamad Faouzi Haidar is a Lebanese professional footballer who plays as a winger or attacking midfielder for Lebanese Premier League club Ahed and the Lebanon national team.
The Jordan Rugby Committee is a non-profit organisation with the sole responsibility of developing the sport of rugby in Jordan. It is funded by the Jordan Olympic Committee and is an associate member of World Rugby. Jordan Rugby became an associate member of Asia Rugby in 2008 and then a full member in 2016.
Girls Football Academy, or simply GFA, is a women's football academy based in Beirut, Lebanon. They were founded in 2011 as the first exclusively female football academy in the Middle East.
Athletico Sports Club, known as Athletico Beirut or simply Athletico, is a football academy based in Dbayeh, Lebanon.
Corruption in Lebanon is magnified after the end of the civil war in 1990. It is analysed as a case post-conflict corruption. Once a taboo subject, now it is at the forefront of the public debate in Lebanon. Anti-corruption sentiment has been one of the driving forces behind many of the large scale Lebanese protests in recent history.
