ASC President meets with President of Lebanese Olympic Committee to Honours Lebanese Shooter Samer Sarkis for Winning Gold at the Mediterranean Games in Italy

09 Sep 2026

The Lebanese Olympic Committee held a ceremony to honor shooter Samer Sarkis in recognition of his winning the gold medal in the Skeet shooting competition at the 20th Mediterranean Games Taranto 2026.This was the only medal won by the Lebanese delegation at the Games.

The ceremony was held at the headquarters of the Lebanese Olympic Committee in the Hazmieh area, in the presence of the President of the Asian Shooting Confederation (ASC), His Highness Sheikh Salman Sabah Al-Salem Al-Hamoud Al-Sabah, the President of the Lebanese Olympic Committee and President of the Lebanese Shooting and Hunting Federation, Dr. Boutros Jalkh his deputies, Engineer Mazen Ramadan and Grand Master Sami Kiblawi Secretary General, Retired General Hassan Rustom and members of the Executive Committee, including Treasurer Khodr Mkalled and Engineer Wassim Ismail.

Representing the Lebanese Shooting and Hunting Federation vice president Jean Zailaa, Secretary General Sassine Rouhana, Head of the Technical Committees Wael Nassar, and Head of the Pistol Technical Committees Rabih El Ayoubi.

Also in attendance were Tarek Doumiati, former Director of the Asian Shooting Confederation and Hamoud the son of Sheikh Salman Al-Sabah, and a media personality Wadih Abdel Nour. The ceremony began with an introduction by the Olympic Committee's Media Advisor, Hassan Mohieddine.

Dr. Boutros Jalkh then delivered a speech in which he stated: It is my great pleasure to welcome my dear brother, His Highness Sheikh Salman Al-Sabah, as an esteemed and valued guest at the headquarters of the Lebanese Olympic Committee.

His Highness is well known for his distinguished leadership as President of the ASC and for his visionary role in developing the Olympic Shooting Sport across the Asian continent. He is also a loyal of the State of Kuwait, a country whose history bears witness to its generous and continuous support for the Lebanese people.

The fraternal relationship that binds me to His Highness Sheikh Salman dates back to the year 1986, when we first met during the Asian Games in Seoul, Korea. Since then, this relationship has continued to grow and has reached the level of a close family relationship, as I have come to know him as a man of great nobility, dignity and generosity.

Dear brother, on my own behalf and on behalf of the members of the Lebanese Olympic Committee and the Lebanese Shooting and Hunting Federation, I extend to you our deepest thanks, appreciation, and gratitude for your constant support of the Lebanese shooting team.

Through this support, we have been able over the years to succeed in international championships and competitions. Distinguished guests, Recently, champion Samer Sarkis, a member of the Lebanese shooting team and the Lebanese delegation, won the Gold Medal at the Mediterranean Games in Taranto, Italy.

This historic achievement represents Lebanon's first Gold Medal in Skeet shooting in the 75-year history of the Mediterranean Games.

It is a remarkable milestone for Lebanese sport in general and for the sport shooting in particular. Today, we gather to honor our champion shooter, Samer Sarkis, for this outstanding achievement locally and internationally for his country, Lebanon.

Samer Sarkis won over his Italian competitor, Olympic champion Gabrielle Rossetti, who won the gold medal at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. Sarkis's victory, in which he defeated one of Italy's great champions in shooting, attracted considerable attention from the Italian media. His achievement was not treated as marginal news about Lebanon, but rather as a remarkable sporting victory over an Olympic champion.

I extend my sincere thanks to my colleagues at the Lebanese Shooting and Hunting Federation for their dedication and for all the efforts they have made to ensure the continued development and success of shooting sport in Lebanon.

Once again, we warmly welcome the guest of this ceremony, His Highness Sheikh Salman Al-Sabah, on his gracious and blessed visit. We wish him a pleasant stay in his second home, Lebanon.

To our champion, Samer Sarkis, we say:

You are the pride of Lebanon and Lebanese sports. You raised the name and flag of Lebanon high and our national anthem was heard with pride in Italy. Congratulations to Lebanon and to our champion, Samer Sarkis."Following Dr. Jalkh's speech, ASC President delivered a speech in which he expressed his great honor at being present to witness this outstanding achievement by Lebanese sport.

He noted that since assuming the presidency of the ASC in 2004, he had closely followed the achievements of Lebanese shooting. He emphasized that Lebanon is a country that produces champions and that he had followed Samer Sarkis in several competitions, recognizing his talent and ability.

He extended his heartfelt congratulations to Sarkis on his achievement, through which he surpassed leading Mediterranean champions, and that it is the duty of the ASC to honor and support the Lebanese Shooting and Hunting Federation. Following the speeches, ASC president received the Lebanese Olympic Committee's Appreciation Shield from Dr. Boutros Jalkh.

Dr. Jalkh and ASC President then jointly presented a similar Appreciation Shield to shooter Samer Sarkis in recognition of his outstanding achievement.

In response, Sarkis delivered a speech in which he thanked everyone present, particularly the Lebanese Olympic Committee, its President and members, for their generous and supportive initiative. He also expressed his appreciation to the Lebanese Shooting and Hunting Federation for its continued attention and support.

Sarkis revealed that he holds a degree in law and works for an international law firm. Despite his professional responsibilities and numerous commitments, he said that he made sure to dedicate sufficient time to preparing for the competition, which enabled him to win the gold medal and proudly raise the Lebanese flag while the national anthem was played.

He promised to continue working toward achieving further outstanding results for Lebanon in shooting at upcoming international competitions.