Lebanon: The first FIFA/CIES Programme graduates receive their diplomas

The first fifteen students at Notre Dame University - Louaize (NDU), the academic partner of the International Centre for Sports Studies (CIES) in Lebanon, were awarded their diplomas during a ceremony held last week at Zouk Mosbeh campus near Beirut.

Under the high authority of NDU President Father Walid Moussa, the graduation ceremony allowed the many participants to discover the host of sport-related activities and projects at the university and also to appreciate very impressive taekwondo and aikido demonstrations.

Roger Saadallah, representing the Minister of Youth and Sports, and Mary-Angela Willis, Dean of the Faculty of Humanities, emphasised the importance of sport and of effective sport management in the process of building a society suffering from divisions.

“The benefits of sport for society are undeniable, in particular when society is faced with conflicts. Sport competitions organised by professional and competent management as well as leadership based on the principle of integrity have the power to transcend social and political barriers. Sport can be a meeting point for different educational, religious and even language backgrounds. It has a great unifying power”, said Mary-Angela Willis in her opening speech.

Speaking on behalf of the new graduates, Maria Saad invited her classmates to focus on immediate involvement in the realities of Lebanese sport and to use their passion and enthusiasm to improve sport management.

The members of the FIFA/CIES International University Network welcome the graduates of the first Lebanese class: Maria, Ricardo, Hussein, Tony, Christeena, Nisrine, Hovsep, Jamil, Ziad, Micheline, Jean, Rachid, Chebl, Anthony and Charbel.