ABOUT US /
OUR STORY
The Association du PolyLiban is a Lebanese non-profit organization founded in 2008 and officially registered in 2011. The association is managed by young volunteers. ADPL is a sister association of the “Association du Polyathlon” in Switzerland and France.
In 2008, a group of young poly-athletes went to Switzerland to participate in Polyathlon Swiss. They loved the idea & started dreaming of doing the same event in Lebanon.
We have mountains & sea, we have beautiful nature!
The group went back to Lebanon and organized
the first Polyathlon Des Cèdres in 2008 with
the support & participation of the Lebanese army!
Years after, the dream became a beautiful reality. Every year we have more than 120 participants taking part in Polyathlon Des Cèdres, the leading multi-sports event in Lebanon and the Middle East.
Polyliban expanded its activities further by organizing the annual Polyliban cyclo-tour, monthly Sunday rides, Snowshoeing/ Back-Country skiing & by bringing the Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour to Lebanon.
WHAT
WE DO
PolyLiban organizes a variety of sports related events throughout the year. During winter, we organize snowshoeing/skiing events, during spring we start organizing cycling rides & hikes in nature and at the beginning of the fall season, we organize our two principle yearly events: POLYATHLON DES CEDRES & PolyLiban CYCLO TOUR. Below is a detailed list of our activities/events.
- Polyathlon des Cèdres is the leading multi-sports event in Lebanon and the Middle East. It links the sea coast to Qornet el Sawda. The challenge consists of 5 sports’ activities to be completed in less than 24 hours: Sea Rafting 3 km, Sea Swimming 2 km, Cycling 100 km, Archery & Trekking 24 km.
- The Polyathlon is followed by PolyLiban Cyclo Tour: a 4-days cycling trip where people from different backgrounds and from abroad come together and tour various villages in Lebanon by bike to discover our country’s diverse culture and rich heritage.
- The Beirut Unity Tour is a cycling tour in the city of Beirut to celebrate the Lebanese Independence Day and to promote social cohesion in cooperation with the Lebanese Army.
- Since 2011, Polyliban brings the Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour to Lebanon, one of the most prestigious film festivals in the world.
- Velo-Camp is Polyliban’s most diverse event. It combines cycling, hiking, caving, climbing, SUP and most importantly camping, all in full autonomy! We carry our equipment and clothes on the back of our bikes and tour a different region every year.
- Polyliban’s Sunday Rides are one-day thematic cycling tours to discover different rural destinations and shed the light on their cultural and natural heritage while cycling more than 60 Km and climbing more than 1500 m.
MISSION
& Objectives
Our mission is to promote youth development and empowerment through non-competitive, non-business and self-challenging endurance sports and activities aiming at:
- Protecting and promoting Lebanon’s natural and cultural heritage
- Showing the true image of a peaceful and pluralistic Lebanon
- Encouraging cultural exchange and uniting people regardless of their backgrounds
Throughout our nature sports events and activities, we promote a responsible and environmentally-friendly approach to rural tourism and bring support to local communities and shed the light on many rural cultural and natural treasures.
POLYLIBAN
FAMILY
PolyLiban’s family currently comprises more than 40 active members who share the same mission and objectives and are all happy to welcome you to any of our events. Going more into details, PolyLiban has a board of director of 7 members who are responsible of brainstorming & strategically planning Polyliban’s events & managing the administrative aspect of the association
current executive committee
NADY SOKHN
MAYA BOU NASSAR
MARC DEBAHY
CAROLE AKL
RAMI ZOYA
AHMAD DERBASS
TEDDY HABCHI
POLYLIBAN
FOUNDERS
The Association Du Polyliban has been founded by 8 passionate poly-athletes, who initiated the non-competitive challenging Polyathlon idea and who constitute the backbones of the NGO and continue to be active members of the association until today.
Polyliban founding members
CAROLE AKL
GEORGES HOBEIKA
TINA COMATY
AVEDIS KALPAKLIAN
VINCENT NASSAR
SABINE SAWAYA
