Beirut, Lebanon, July 12, 2025: The President of the Lebanese Olympic Committee Boutros Pierre Jalkh urged Lebanese athletes to represent their country with “honour and determination” at the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games.
With the words of NOC President Pierre Jalkh resonating strongly, Lebanon celebrated the spirit of the Aichi-Nagoya Games with more than 1,200 participants featuring in a Fun Run held in Downtown Beirut outside the Four Seasons Hotel early on Saturday morning, July 12.
“Winning medals is our goal, but we also believe that the most important thing is to be present, to fight well, and do our best,” Jalkh said. “Thank you Aichi-Nagoya for hosting the 20th Asian Games.”
An Olympic Council of Asia delegation comprising Wissam Trkmani, Director of NOC Relations and Development Programme, and Jeans Zhou Jian, Director of Media and Broadcast, spearheaded the promotional campaign in Beirut for the Japanese showpiece which will be held from September 19-October 4, 2026.
The Fun Run is the third prong of the ‘Asian Games for All’ campaign – the other two being the Asian Youth Reporter Project and the Art and Drawing Competition – and Beirut got wholeheartedly behind it with the public, including children as young as three years joining hands in the one-kilometre and 2-km runs.
Jalkh paying tribute to the OCA, said: “Under the guidance of the present leadership, the OCA is doing a lot for the Olympic Movement in Asia. We are confident that the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games will be an excellent event where the best athletes of Asia will meet and do their best for their countries.
“The slogan of the Games is ‘Imagine One Asia’, and it is due to the fact that we all believe that sport will always bring people together regardless of their language, cultural, and nationality. Friendship and goodwill will prevail,” Jalkh added.
There was plenty of goodwill and camaraderie at the colourful Fun Run as Beirut proved it was a fitting host for the sixth overseas leg of the promotional campaign.