04 May Zouk Mikael, the capital of the state … and basketball

With the beginning of the Lebanese civil war in 1975, the headquarters of the republic moved from Baabda due to the bombing to Zouk Mikael, specifically on March 25, 1976 and the upper floor of the “Palace of Zouk” became the headquarters of the President of the Republic at the time, Suleiman Franjieh. Away from explosions and fire. After forty years of this event and the stability of the situation in the country, the town is preparing again for the title of “Asian basketball capital”.

The Nihad Nofal Sports and Theater complex will host the 29th Asian Nations Basketball Cup, which will be held with the participation of 16 teams, including China, Iran, Australia and New Zealand, next August, in the most important sporting event hosted by Lebanon since the 2009 Francophone Games.

The complex, which was built on an area of ​​12 thousand square meters and was officially opened in March 2016, is one of the largest sports halls in Lebanon, with its audiences for more than 8,000 spectators, as well as important facilities, including a huge health club, and is supervised by a board of 6 members of the council Al-Baladi and 3 qualified members.