Lebanese women in sports overcoming societal barriers
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Salma Hossein
- . September 5, 2023
- . Update: September 5, 2023 6:41 pm
In recent years, women in Lebanon have been giving priority to sports. From football and basketball to field and weightlifting, Lebanese women are giving their best. Despite Lebanon’s economic collapse, Lebanese women are not giving up on their dreams. Who are some of the Lebanese women in sports breaking barriers?
Mahassen Hala Fattouh
Mahassen Hala Fattouh, a famous Lebanese weightlifter, represented her country at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan. She finished in ninth position in the women’s 76 kg event.
Over the years, Mahassen Hala Fattouh made Lebanon proud. She earned an international medal for women’s weightlifting in 2018 at the XVIII Mediterranean Games in Tarragona, Spain. She competed in the women’s 64 kg event at this competition.
The Lebanese weightlifter won three gold medals at the Arab Championship in Amman, Jordan. She also competed in the women’s 63 kg event at the World Weightlifting Championships in 2014, 2015 and 2017. In 2021, she competed at the 2020 Asian Weightlifting Championships in Uzbekistan, and at the women’s 71 kg event at the 2022 Mediterranean Games in Algeria.
Ray Bassil
In 2021, various female athletes from Lebanon participated in the Tokyo Olympics. Ray Bassil, a Lebanese trap shooter, became the first Arab woman to compete in two Olympic Games. She won 3 consecutive world cup medals in Trap shooting, highlighting the importance of Lebanese women in sports.
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Ray Jacques Bassil also won gold at the 2016 ISSF World Cup in Nicosia, the Capital of Cyprus. She represented her country at the Olympic Games in 2012, 2016 and 2020.
Gabriella Douaihy
Gabriella Douaihy, a Lebanese swimmer, also made her country proud at the Tokyo Olympics, which was her second time participating in the Olympic Games. She also took part in the first round of the women’s 400 meter freestyle event at the Rio Summer Olympics in 2016.
Aziza Sbaity
Many Lebanese women are set to participate at the 2024 Paris Olympics, overcoming societal barriers. Aziza Sbaity, a Lebanese sprinter who has represented Lebanon at one outdoor and two indoor World Championships, aims to participate at the 2024 Paris Olympics. She has been working hard to make her dream come true.
Aziza Sbaity, who is the 100m Lebanese national record holder, won a gold in the 200m race and silver in the 100m event at the 2023 Arab Athletics Championships.
