"Ramadan Village", initiated by Makhzoumi Foundation and organized by "Beirutiyat" on a Dar Al Fatwa land in Verdun during the holy month of Ramadan, has celebrated the International Youth Sports Day on Friday, June 23rd, 2017 in the presence of Mr. Fouad Makhzoumi, the honorary president of Makhzoumi Foundation and Beirutiyat.
Attending the festivity along Mr. Makhzoumi was Mr. Joseph Saadallah representing the Minister of Youth & Sports, Mr. Ali Al Khalil representing the Director General of Youth & Sports, the Secretary General of the Olympic Committee Brigadier General Hassan Rustom,Olympic Committee Treasurer Mrs. RoulaAssi,Olympic Committee member Mr.Mazen Ramadan, the South Korean Consul to Lebanon H.E. Yon-Hu Kim, the heads of several unions,the heads of community and union clubs, and the three Lebanese basketball stars Amir Saoud, Ali Haidar and Ismail Ahmad.
Following a convivial iftar on ground,Mr. Makhzoumidelivered a speech in which he praisedthe sportsmanship of the young volunteers working in the Village, stressing that the initiative wouldn't have been successful without their valuable involvement and sportsmanship. Makhzoumi explained that the volunteers handled many tasks including food preparation and distribution and the daily cleanup of the village, as well as contributed to entertaining children and distributing gifts and clothes to them.
The celebration program counted two exciting martial arts shows: a Taekwondo show by the champions of the Lebanese Taekwondo League and a Muay Thai show by the Shogun Clubchampions.
The event also featured a special ceremony to honor Beirut's Sporting Club for winning the Lebanese 2017 Basketball Championship, in addition to honoringthe Village's volunteersincludingrunner Diana Fakhranfor winning the beginners' 10Km Women's Race Marathon, Suhail Al Kaissi for winning the Beginners' Lebanese Weightlifting Championship, athletes Hasan Koeikfor winning the golden medal in the World Bodybuilding Championship, and Ramadan Oundach the ten-year-old winner of the silver medal in the Muay Thai World Championship.
Moreover, the honorary ceremonyincluded social, scout and sports associations in addition to companies, universities, and schools that have contributed to the Village's success and to spreading a sense of sharing and citizenship among underprivileged families and children thanks to the efforts of their volunteers throughout the month of Ramadan. Among the honored figures was alsoMr. Fouad Makhzoumiwho was handed a commemorative shield by the President of the Taekwondo League Dr. Habib Zarifa in addition to receiving anothershield from Mr. ChaficTraboulsi, President of Lebanon's Shaiss Diving Academy.
The evening ended on a sporty note with chess, basketball, table tennis and other sporting activities.
