São Paulo – A team of volleyball players from Saint-Esprit de Kaslik University (USEK), from Lebanon, should arrive in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday (27) to play in the 1st International Volleyball Cup, at Pedro Hage Jahara Municipal Gymnasium, in Teresópolis, to take place from March 1st to 3rd. "It is a friendly match, for solidarity with the city of Teresópolis, which suffered greatly with rains in January," said Roberto Khatlab, one of the thinkers of the project.
The Lebanese are going to play against the Botafogo, Flamengo and Tijuca teams. The matches will be free of charge. "It is a championship to attract people and show that the city is still open to receive tourists," said Khatlab, who is the director of the Latin American Study and Culture Centre (Cecal) at USEK.
According to him, the city of Teresópolis has many families of Lebanese origin and still receives immigrants from the Arab country. The rains that affected the city and caused landslides touched the Lebanese, who made donations through USEK.
In the period of rains, those who lost their homes stayed at the gymnasium in which the matches will be played. The matches are part of a Cecal sports exchange program, which now aims to take a team of Brazilian players to a championship in Lebanon. The sport has not yet been defined.
Service
1st International Volleyball Cup
Date: Marcy 1st to 3rd
Site: Pedro Hage Jahara Municipal Gymnasium – Teresópolis (RJ)
Time: 7:00 pm
Admittance is free
*Translated by Mark Ament
