Nassif Majdalani

Nassif Majdalani (Arabic: ناصيف مجدلاني; 10 October 1913 – 8 January 1988) was a Lebanese sports journalist, radio and television presenter, as well as president of the Lebanon Football Association (LFA), which he helped found in 1933, between 1946 and 1949.[1][2] He is the youngest president in the LFA's history, aged 33 when he assumed office.[3]

Nassif Majdalani
ناصيف مجدلاني
7th President of the Lebanese Football Association
In office 1946–1949
Vice President	Izzat Al Turk
Preceded by	Bahij Salem
Succeeded by	Fouad Chamoun
Personal details
Born	(1913-10-10)10 October 1913 Mazraa, Beirut, Lebanon
Died	8 January 1988(1988-01-08) (aged 74) Beirut, Lebanon
Alma mater	International School of Choueifat

Majdalani graduated from the International School of Choueifat and was awarded the Lebanese Medal of Merit in 1935, as well as the rank of Knight in the National Order of the Cedar in 1955 and the rank of Officer in 1970.[4]

Nicknamed "Abu al-Riyada" (the father of sports), he is one of the pioneers of sports journalism in Lebanon. He has presented numerous sports programs on radio and television. He also founded the newspaper "Al-Hayat Al-Riyadiya" in 1931, founded several sports federations and was a member of many Olympic committees. Nassif Majdalani was the first Lebanese Olympic referee to hold this position in 1948.

Journalism

Nassif Majdalani started as a sports editor at "Al-Ahwal" newspaper in 1930 and also worked as a sports editor for "Al-Nida'", "An-Nahar", "Al-Hadith", "Al-Amal", "Asia", "Al-Joumhour" and "Al-Sayyad" newspapers, from 1931 to 1945. He launched the newspaper "Al-Hayat Al-Riyadiya" in 1931 which he registered in his mother's name due to his young age.

He published the newspaper "Al-Malahi" from 1934 to 1938, after the French mandate authorities disrupted the sports life in the country. He headed the sports department of Dar Al-Hayat when it was founded in 1946. He also headed the Association of Sports Editors.

Radio

Nassif Majdalani presented programs on the Lebanese radio, starting in 1940. In 1960, he signed a contract with the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) to transmit live news from the Arab delegations to the Olympic Games that were held in Rome that same year.

Television

Nassif Majdalani presented programs on Lebanese Television (TL), the only public television channel in Lebanon, since its creation in 1959.

Publications and conferences

Nassif Majdalani published a biography of the Lebanese soccer star Edmond Rubeiz in 1933. He translated the International Law of Wrestling into Arabic in 1948. He has also given many lectures on sports in Lebanon and in the world.

Sports Federations

Nassif Majdalani contributed to the creation of the Lebanese Football Association in 1933. He held several positions, including that of president from 1946 to 1949. He was also the secretary general of the Lebanese-Syrian Union of Physical Sports Amateurs in 1937. He then established the Lebanese Wrestling and Weightlifting Federation in 1937, in which he held the positions of president and secretary general. He also founded the Lebanese Boxing Federation in 1937. Nassif Majdalani also contributed to the establishment of the Lebanese Swimming, Water Polo and Skiing Federation and served as its secretary general in 1942. He contributed to the creation of the Lebanese Federation of Sports Games and held several positions in it from 1945 to 1950.

Nassif Majdalani contributed to the creation of the Lebanese Federation of Wrestling, Boxing and Weightlifting in 1951, and was its president in 1951, 1952, 1960 and 1962. He worked in the Athletics and Cycling Federation as secretary general and president from 1954 to 1959. He headed the Lebanese Weightlifting and Physical Education Federation from 1963 to 1968. He contributed to the establishment of Lebanese federations for various sports, and he also contributed to legislation and sports activity in various fields.

Lectures

Nassif Majdalani held the position of rapporteur of the first sports conference held in Beirut in 1944 in the presence of the Independence government, and was the starting point of the Lebanese sports renaissance and its state sponsorship. He represented Lebanon at the Olympic and International Wrestling, Boxing and Weightlifting conferences in 1952. He represented Lebanon at the conferences of the Olympic Committees in the Arab countries in Dhour Choueir (Lebanon) in 1954, in Cairo in 1955, in Damascus in 1956, in Khartoum in 1958, and in Beirut in 1963. He represented Lebanon at the first Arab sports conference in Alexandria in 1956, and at the first international conference of Mediterranean countries in Beirut in 1959. He also represented Lebanon at the meeting of National Olympic Committees in Athens in 1961.

Arab Tournaments

1957- Deputy Head of the Lebanese Mission to the Beirut Sports Session.

1961- Administrator of weightlifting at the Casablanca Tournament.

1965- Administrator of weightlifting at the Cairo Games.

Mediterranean Tournaments

1951- Administrator of the Alexandria Weightlifting Tournament.

1955- Rapporteur of the Lebanese delegation at the Barcelona session.

1959- Head of the Lebanese Mission to the Beirut Session.

1963- Deputy Head of the Lebanese Mission at the Naples Session.

World Championships

1950- Head of the Lebanese delegation at the World Championships in Stockholm.

1951- Manager of the Lebanese delegation to the world championship rematch.

1952- Journalist accompanying the Lebanese delegation to the Volleyball Championship in Moscow.

1956- International referee at the World Cup of Wrestling in Istanbul.

1957- Delegate of Lebanon to the International Conference and referee of the World Weightlifting Championship in Tehran.

1965- Journalist accompanying the Lebanese delegation to the World University Championship in Budapest.

1967- Journalist accompanying the soccer delegation to the Pre-Olympics in Tokyo.

Olympic Sessions

1948- Secretary of the Lebanese delegation to the London Games and first Lebanese Olympic referee.

1952- Administrator of weightlifting and boxing at the Helsinki Games.

1960- Administrator of weightlifting at the Rome Games.

1968- Journalist accompanying the Lebanese delegation to the Mexico session.

Various public activities

- Nassif Majdalani was elected member of the first Higher Committee of Sports in Lebanon in 1942, then of the National Committee of Physical Sports at the Ministry of National Education.

- He chaired the treasury of the first Lebanese Olympic Committee in 1947 and served as vice president of its executive committee. In 1948, the Lebanese government decided to appoint him as a member of the tripartite commission that he formed to select a suitable land for the construction of the Sports City in Beirut.

- He was an international referee in wrestling, boxing and weightlifting in 1952 and participated in several Arab, regional, international and Olympic tournaments as a referee, member of the appeal bodies and first class referee in athletics.

- Nassif Majdalani was elected member of the executive committee of the International Wrestling Federation between 1952 and 1956.

- He was elected President of the Arab Federation at the first Arab League Conference in Alexandria in 1956.

- He was responsible for the international Arab bicycle races in Lebanon and the swimming races between Saida and Beirut, an idea he himself initiated in 1955.

- He accompanied most of the missions of sports federations and societies in the Arab countries.

- He created in 1959 a sports museum in Lebanon, with a large number of medals won by Lebanese champions in the Olympic Games and world championships, as well as medals obtained by Lebanese athletes in regional and Arab tournaments.

- Nassif Majdalani headed the Youth Sports Association of Al-Mazraa for three years 1940-1943.

- In 1969, he was appointed member of the board of directors of Sports City.

Awards

- Lebanese Gold Medal of Merit in 1953.

- National Order of the Cedar, rank of knight, 1955.

- National Order of the Cedar, rank of officer, 1970