If there's one thing the table tennis player Mayssa Bsaibes can do, it is to keep her eye on the ball! Yesterday, Mayssa was an architect, today, she is a sports instructor at Antonine University (UA), and tomorrow she will be one of the official promoters for the World Table Tennis Day 2021 (WTTD). Needless to say, this young woman knows how to grab opportunities at the right moment! Let us discover the journey of this champion and how she turned her passion into a career.

You probably know her name. She is very famous in the sports world. A few years ago, Mayssa Bsaibes had the opportunity to appear in an article at L’Orient-Le Jour Newspaper when she won the Mont-la-Salle Cup. At the time, she was not even 21. A few years later, the young woman has not stopped playing table tennis, quite the contrary! Despite her degree in architecture, she switched her career to become a professional athlete and an instructor at the Faculty of Sport Sciences at Antonine University, turning her dreams into reality.

But who is Mayssa Bsaibes in real? Well, she is energy personified! She is not afraid to take on challenges and knows how to keep her eye on her goals. The children of Beirut whom she trains, as a young IOC leader, can attest to this. Through her table tennis workshops, she helps them overcome their post-blast trauma. An unwavering desire to help others is the reason that prompted the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) to appoint her as the Lebanese Promoter of the prestigious WTTD 2021, which will be held on April 6, 2021, in Beirut and elsewhere in the world.

The theme of this year focuses on women’s empowerment; a hot topic in our country, which unfortunately ranks tied with Saudi Arabia as the 6th worst country for gender equality.
This cause is very dear to the heart of the Bsaibes family. Actually, Mayssa's sister Rita — who is also a table tennis player — has just got her membership at the Lebanese Table Tennis Federation, a first for a woman in Lebanon! Although the scale is not even close to balanced, it is proof that things can change.

It is high time society gave women and girls, who form the largest disadvantaged group, a fair place! Numbers were not high before the pandemic, but since the COVID-19 outbreak, the violence against women notably increased. During these challenging times for the Lebanese people, Mayssa is in charge, as a promoter for the WTTD 2021, of promoting the United Nations’ goal no. 5, which is “Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls,” and spreading the positive spirit of table tennis around her.

She accepted this double mission with the seriousness and determination that characterize her, and has planned an engaging program for April 6, 2021. Her goal is to bring life back to Beirut streets by organizing a series of online and outdoor activities such as webinars, quizzes, prizes, meetings with Lebanese champions, challenges, and many more, to improve the moral of those who feel stuck in the tunnel of despair. It is not a secret that sports create a sense of happiness and participates in the healing process of those who experienced trauma. Our professional table tennis player intends to prove it by carrying high and proudly the light of hope!