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Jassem Kanso is a former professional basketball player and has a long-standing track record in sports administration and Sports for Development initiatives. He’s also the founder of Hoops Club and Hoops NGO and is an active member of the Badminton World Federation.

Career as a professional basketball player

Jassem Kanso was a professional basketball player at Al Riyadi Club Beirut from 1986 to 2000. During this time, the team won the Lebanese Basketball League championships three times. He also played on Lebanon men's national basketball team from 1992 to 1999. From 2000-2001, Jassem Kanso was a professional basketball player at Al Sadaka Sporting Club.  

Career in sports administration

Jassem Kanso was a member of the Lebanese Basketball Federation in 2004 -2007and the National Team Manager in 2004, 2005, and 2006. During his tenure, the Lebanese national team Men and the youths team were qualified for the Basketball World Cup and the Women team won the Gold Medal in the Arab Championship in 2004 or 2003, despite the obstacles of limited funding and Lebanon being a small nation. Jassem Kanso created the structure and selected the talent for the Under 19 Men’s Basketball Team qualified for the Basketball World Cup in Serbia in 2007. He also selected the talent for the men’s team which qualified for the Basketball World cup in Japan in 2006. After becoming involved in badminton and promoting the sport in the smallest countries in Asia, including the MENA region, Jassem Kanso became:

·     Finance Chair of Badminton World Federation ( 2021-present)

.   The President of the Lebanese Badminton Federation (2008-present)

·       The Vice President of the Arab Badminton Federation (2009-2013)

·       The Vice President of the Asian Badminton Confederation (2011-2015)

·       Treasurer of Badminton Asia (2015-present)

·       Deputy Chair of the Badminton World Federation (2013-2017)

·       Member of the Francophone Badminton Federation representing Asia (2016-2020)

·       The Vice President of the Badminton World Federation (2017-present)

·       Member of the Lebanese Olympic Committee and Chairperson of the Talent Identification Committee from (2017- 2020).

Hoops Club

Jassem Kanso founded Hoops Club in 2001 to build sports culture in Lebanon, nurture sports talent, and create career opportunities for young athletes. Hoops, a full- fledged club with a pioneering history and sustainable legacy, has three branches in Lebanon: Beirut, Hazmieh, and Michel El Murr Stadium. Hoops is more than great facilities coupled with expert coaches. Hoops is a community. A home for families. An accessible and affordable sports and culture retreat. Hoops Club is known for its sports academies: basketball, football, and badminton. The branches offer the local community access to basketball and football courts in addition to diverse activities including Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), dance, and music. As part of his work at Hoops Club, Jassem Kanso laid the foundations for girls to become professional basketball players. By strategizing for a decade and creating the right training environment, today Hoops Club has several girls’ basketball teams, grouped by age, competing on a national level in addition to a hub of professional players that provides the national and international teams with young Lebanese talents. Hoops Club has even teamed up with major businesses to sponsor competing teams in the 1^st Division ($200,000 for competitive sports).

Social Responsibility and Sports for Development

Hoops the NGO:

Hoops initially launched with an unwavering belief in building sports culture in Lebanon, adding value to the sports domain, and enriching people’s lives through the power of sports. This belief still guides Hoops and today Hoops is reference that offers a safe and professional experience that unleashes talent, creates career opportunities for young athletes, and transforms sports into an energizing platform for priceless life skills. Non-sectarian, non-political, and inclusive, Hoops promotes diversity, and is all about the people.

Jassem Kanso established Hoops, a Lebanese non-governmental organization, in 2001. Engaged in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and community outreach, Hoops specializes in Sports for Development programs that teach life-skills while providing psychosocial support and awareness raising sessions for young refugees and the Lebanese community. Hoops partners with UNICEF since 2006 in addition to several local and international NGOs to deliver programs and initiatives that target children and youths and their caregivers in underserved communities.

Jassem Kanso made major contributions to the Sports for Development curriculum, managing the team and:

•   Creating an approach that makes sports an effective tool for development that not only imparts life skills and communication but is also flexible enough to shift with the country’s rapidly changing needs.
• Adapting humanitarian programs based on the country’s evolving needs to better serve a growing number of beneficiaries all over Lebanon and to achieve impactful results. This includes:
• Delivering employability and empowerment projects to vulnerable adolescents, decreasing school dropout rates.
• Overcoming the impact of the 2020 pandemic by leading and redesigning Sports for Development programs delivery to become fully online.
•  Establishing and maintaining strategic relationships by enhancing coordination and teamwork with governmental institutions, government officials, social services, and various local, regional, and international NGOs to safeguard the sustainability and results of humanitarian programs.
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Education and other aspects

Lebanese American University, Lebanon

Bachelor of Business Administration                                                              2007

Hobbies

Professional Water-ski player and a former member of the Lebanese Water-ski Committee (1998), Jassem Kanso won the Open Category Water-ski Lebanese Championship SLALOM in 2019.  

References

https://www.badmintonasia.org/member-associations/west-asia/lebanon== External links ==

• www.example.com