An official reception was held for him in the Salon of Honor, in the presence of a representative of the Ministry of Youth and Sports, Muhammad Oweidat, who said: “In the name of the Minister of Youth and Sports, Dr. George Kallas, I send my congratulations to the national team champions who raised the name of Lebanon, and made all the Lebanese people happy and rejoiced. We achieved a historic victory with the victory of the champions. And by winning the Arab Championship Cup for the first time, and this is not strange for the game of basketball, as it is always distinguished among the types of sports and makes the Lebanese people proud.”
He added: “Heroes of Lebanon, you have not only made the sports family happy, but all segments of Lebanese society, especially in these difficult circumstances.”
He congratulated “the Lebanese Federation and its president, Akram Al-Halabi, and all the technical staff, including coaches and assistants,” and said: “As a ministry, we will provide all support, and God willing, the budget will be issued soon for the public interest.”
He saluted “all the media that reported the event.”
For his part, the representative of Al-Halabi and Al-Ittihad, Doumit Kallab, indicated that “the joy is great today with this historic achievement,” considering that “the greatest achievement is qualifying for the World Cup on the 24th and 27th of this month in Jordan and Saudi Arabia,” wishing “full support for the team.” And he said, “We affirm our full confidence in the technical staff that brought us to this stage. The players of the national team grow in heart and call us to be proud. They were very excellent.”
He added, “We are not waiting for budgets, but rather we are doing our best to support this champion team.”
It is noteworthy that the crew of the Middle East Airlines plane, which carried the team from Dubai to Beirut, celebrated its victory, and its captain addressed the players by saying: “What you have achieved is a great Lebanese achievement that restores hope to the Lebanese, all of Lebanon is proud of you and thanks you.”
