Sport policy in Lebanon, 1975 to 2004

Abstract

Lebanon is a unique country. Its small size, numerous communities, geographical context, history of conflicts and foreign invasions contributes in making this research a unique study in the field of humanities and social sciences. The study of such a case gets even more complex when it comes to the evaluation of the position of sport in this society; especially since the Lebanese Government has never considered sport and the betterment of sport among its priorities.

Lebanese sport reflects all the different parameters of the Lebanese scene: economic difficulties, administrative problems, religious and political tension. The situation of sport in this country is rendered even more complicated by the fact that the budget granted to sport is relatively very small; a fact that is not only detailed but is proven to have direct effects on the low position that Lebanon has in the different international sport rankings. Academically, research on this field is also still very limited and the very few works done in this domain are more descriptive than analytic.

The aims of this thesis, new in its kind, is, first, to do an analysis on the sport policy administered in Lebanon from 1975 to 2004, and, then, after defining its different characteristics, propose a plan for development.