Ararad Sports Association (; ; ) is a

Lebanese-Armenian Armenians have lived in Lebanon for centuries. According to Minority Rights Group International, there are 156,000 Armenians in Lebanon, around 4% of the population. Prior to the Lebanese Civil War, the number was higher, but the community lost a ...

sports and cultural organization. Established in 1969, the club is considered a continuation of the Lebanese-Armenian club Pagramian.Messerlian, Zaven. ''Armenian Participation in the Lebanese Legislative Elections 1934-2009''. Beirut: Haigazian University Press, 2014. pp. 28, 138, 153-154 Although the club has sympathizers from various circles, it is regarded as an association with

left-wing Left-wing politics describes the range of Ideology#Political ideologies, political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy either as a whole or of certain social ...

leanings.

History

After Pagramian had been closed by the

Lebanese government Lebanon is a Parliamentary republic, parliamentary Democracy, democratic republic within the overall framework of Confessionalism (politics), confessionalism, a form of consociationalism in which the highest offices are proportionately reserv ...

in 1960 for its affiliation with the

Lebanese Communist Party The Lebanese Communist Party (LCP; , transliterated: ) is a communist party in Lebanon. It was founded in 1943 as a division of the Syrian–Lebanese Communist Party into the Syrian Communist Party and the Lebanese Communist Party, but the divi ...

, Ararad Sports Association was set up to fill the void in 1969. In 1976, at the height of the

Lebanese Civil War The Lebanese Civil War ( ) was a multifaceted armed conflict that took place from 1975 to 1990. It resulted in an estimated 150,000 fatalities and led to the exodus of almost one million people from Lebanon. The religious diversity of the ...

, the extreme right-wing Phalangist Party (Kataeb) militia confiscated the locale of the association for its political leanings; this put a halt to the club's activities. The president of the association, Simon Kazandjian, was martyred along with a relative, Kevork Kazandjian. With the establishment of more peaceful conditions in Lebanon, Ararad Sports Association regrouped in 1988 forming a new administrative committee. The club also launched their football team that played in

Lebanese Third Division The Lebanese Third Division () is the third division of Lebanese football, and is controlled by the Lebanese Football Association. The 23 teams are divided into four groups of six teams each (one group has 5 teams); the first two teams of each ...

. In 1996, the club restored its right to repossess its confiscated locale after negotiations with the Phalangist party leaders. The club also found support from Lebanese Prime Minister

Rafic Hariri Rafic Bahaa El Deen al-Hariri (; 1 November 1944 – 14 February 2005) was a Lebanese businessman and politician who served as Prime Minister of Lebanon, prime minister of Lebanon from 1992 to 1998 and again from 2000 to 2004. Hariri headed fi ...

, who also contributed funds allowing the club to purchase the locale. The opening ceremony event of the revamped club was also sponsored by Hariri himself. On 4 June 2009, Ararad formed their

chess Chess is a board game for two players. It is an abstract strategy game that involves Perfect information, no hidden information and no elements of game of chance, chance. It is played on a square chessboard, board consisting of 64 squares arran ...

division. On 21 June 2012, they disbanded their football team.

References

{{reflist 1969 establishments in Lebanon Sports clubs and teams established in 1969 Association football clubs established in 1988 Association football clubs established in 2012 Armenian association football clubs outside Armenia Armenian football clubs in Lebanon Diaspora sports clubs Football clubs in Lebanon Phoenix clubs (association football)