Antonine University (UA), which recognizes the value of sports education as a powerful tool for youth empowerment and social change, is honored to have provided fertile ground for the expression of the Olympic and Paralympic values of excellence, friendship, respect, equality, determination and courage, as well as the promotion of the benefits of physical activity, through a sporting event: “Paris 2024 Olympic Day”, as part of “Terre de Jeux 2024” label launched by the Organizing Committee of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The French Embassy in Lebanon, in association with the Sports Academy School (SAS), held the “Paris 2024 Olympic Day” under the supervision of the Lebanese Olympic Committee, on Saturday, June 4, 2022, from 9:45 AM to 5:00 PM, at UA’s sports facilities on Hadat–Baabda main campus, in the presence of prominent media and sports figures, among whom was Mr. Léo Dubois, Captain of the Olympique Lyonnais French football team.

The program, which relies on the expertise and full cooperation between the network of the labeled French-speaking institutions, the SAS and the France Volontaires, is the culmination of a series of planned activities put in place in schools to promote sports, help cultivate the Olympic and Paralympic values in Lebanon and form a fully-equipped team for this journey. The UA’s community did not spare any effort to make this event a success. Students of the Faculty of Sport Sciences (FSS) were able to put their skills into practice by assisting in the event's organization. They also served as referees, selecting the winners. Furthermore, the Office of Orientation and Admissions (OOA) members devoted their energy to accompany the students throughout the day, and were delighted to welcome them on campus and answer all their questions regarding the available programs and their academic career paths.

Mr. Georges Assaf, director of the SAS, instructor at UA’s FSS and director of the European University Diploma for Physical Preparation (DUEPP), was excited to share some information on this event: “This sports initiative was launched under the slogan “Land of Play”, with the aim of holding a competition to engage 300 to 400 male and female players from 12 schools in a variety of sports (basketball, football, athletics, archery, rowing, para table tennis and many more), in order to select 10 young players (who are 16 years old) out of 30 high school students”.

The winners were awarded with prizes during this event and will have the opportunity to turn their passion for sports into a career by taking advantage of a two-year training program delivered by the SAS, along with professional student volunteers from UA, thus allowing them to have a golden chance to participate as volunteers in the Paris 2024 Summer Olympic Games.