Donate

Danyel Reiche

Pro basketball team Riyadi is backed by the Future Movement, a Sunni political party founded by slain Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. His posters hang everywhere.

Lebanon’s hoop stars just wanna play the game — but they can’t escape the sectarianism

Sports

Violence in sports is nothing new, but Lebanon takes it in a whole different direction. On-court violence is fueled by politics, religion and a patronage system that has made sectarianism endemic to almost all Lebanese sports, from basketball to ping pong.Violence in sports is nothing new, but Lebanon takes it in a whole different direction. On-court violence is fueled by politics, religion and a patronage system that has made sectarianism endemic to almost all Lebanese sports, from basketball to ping pong.

Tell us about your experience accessing The World

We want to hear your feedback so we can keep improving our website, theworld.org. Please fill out this quick survey and let us know your thoughts (your answers will be anonymous). Thanks for your time!

We respect your time, attention and privacy

This is a news website, not a click casino. We do NOT employ deceptive behaviors, display annoying ads or use third party cookies and trackers to monetize your visit or help advertisers track you across the internet.

Simply, we ask that you would consider a donation to support the journalism we produce every weekday. Thank you.

This is The World

The World is a public radio program and podcast that crosses borders and time zones to bring home the stories that matter.

Follow The World

Subscribe to The World’s Latest Edition podcast for free using your favorite podcast player: