PED PROJECT

SPRING 2011

To Dr. Tarek ASSAF

By: Your Name

Development of Sports in Lebanon by Tripoli municipality.

1
Theme: Development of Sports in Lebanon by Tripoli municipality.

The role of Tripoli municipality in Sports support:

Over the last six years, we have noticed that Tripoli is being progressing in different
sports activities.

We have had Tripoli football team in the first Lebanese division, we have noticed the
great performance of AL MUTAHED Basketball team, and we also have noticed great
tripolian Ping-Pong players making good achievements in the Arab sports tournaments
such as Hilal and Bilal Mukhtar. We notice also the Tripoli International Half marathon
for the second year in Tripoli.

But all those achievements are not being based on personal work achievement or public
sector support but only on rich people’s support such as the PM. Najeeb Mikati
Supporting Tripoli team and the Minister Mohamad Al Safadi supporting AL MUTAHED
team.

If we go to Tripoli municipality website and view the sport activities being supported by
the municipalities and are very few:

- Gymnastic day in 2001

- Lebanese Syrian camp in 2001
- Beach volley ball tournament in 2007
- Kickboxing tournament in 2008

We have also to mention that the Municipality of Tripoli have supported the Tripoli
international half marathon in every single way to make it very successful for the second
year.

2
But we wonder, since Tripoli Is the biggest city in North Lebanon, is the municipality
doing its job supporting sports in North Lebanon as it should?

The answer is no since we do not have appropriate public places for sports and no
visible activities done by the municipality.

Here in Tripoli, in most public and official tournaments, there is no money to be spent;
winners wouldn’t even have their medals, there are no media supporting anything
except for personal relations that leads to local newspaper in best cases.

The current situation tells us three things.

1- The achievement done by the municipality is very close to 0.

2- The achievement done in North Lebanon are done by personal achievement and
doesn’t last long
3- There are three main problems that sports faces:
- There are not enough sports activities in North Lebanon
- The absence of the right environment for sports.
- The Lack of talent support.

How can municipalities develop sports in Lebanon?

3
We have previously listed the problem that sports are having locally.

But maybe our municipalities don’t have the medium needed to support sports in an
appropriate way.

Therefore our municipalities should gather creating big unions that support sports in a
more efficient way.

Each municipality should study the city’s sport situation and come out with problems and
needs.

Then the municipalities unions should meet to discuss those problems and need and to put a
solving method for it.

In this way, work wouldn’t be duplicated and the cost will be reduced to be used in a better
way.

Our municipality should work on collaboration with the existing sport clubs and association but
without counting on the clubs to do all the work.

Our municipality should work on creating a sport community with all the help being offered and
the right environment being created.

If we have the right environment for sports, we will double our talent players within two to
three years which will develop our sport performance in all kind of sports.

Our municipalities should be convinced first with the importance of supporting sports then to
start planning and applying those plans by giving different kind of commitment and support.

4
- A Development Plan to be applied by the Municipality of Tripoli to Support
Sports in North Lebanon:

Our municipality should develop a three steps plan that will have tasks and sub tasks.
First of all the municipality of Tripoli should study the current situation of sports in Tripoli and in
North Lebanon then to set an objective for its development plan.

The strategic objectives in the plan were to

 Identify alternative sport and current sports used today.
 Form partnerships with other municipalities
 Demonstrate market demand for those sports.
 Address population growth and cover all areas.
 Encourage adaptable new sports.
 Enhance sport opportunities for new school facilities.
 Foster access for all sport activities.
 Define current and potential problems
 Identify current and future sports needs in the area

Second, the municipality should develop a sport progress plan based on the objective sets
earlier:
The suggested plan has the next guideline:

 Provide opportunities for all kinds of participants

 Establish the significance of sport in order
 Support multi-sport practice
 Ensure the involvement of sport
 Optimize the use of existing infrastructures.
 Develop the infrastructure needed for the needed activities
 Ensure effective distribution of activities on different area of the city
 Attract big sport events to the area

5
The third and the most important step to do by the municipality are:

 Provide the necessary financial support for all the required tasks
 Schedule all the required tasks to be completed
 Get the acceptance of the high government side.
 Ensure the success by applying the tasks in the best possible way.
 Compare the created sport community with other sports communities to make the
adjustment needed in order to be competitor with other cities.
 Create a development plan for the next three to five years to ensure the continuity of
success after applying the scheduled tasks.

After all, everyone is involved in supporting and developing sport in a way or in

anther which makes it personal responsibility as well before being a public
responsibility.