The Lebanese team competing in the FIVB World Tour 2021 beach volleyball tournament has qualified for the 12th round of the competition.
The duo, Chafic Saliba and Joe El-Azzi, secured the qualification after winning 2-0 against a Tunisian team in a qualifying match on Tuesday and making it to the main draw.
The duo had played two matches, losing the first against the Qatari duo Sherif Yonesi and Ahmed Tejan, then winning against the Moroccan duo Mohammad Abisha and Anas Saber.
El-Azzi and Saliba’s qualification comes in Lebanon‘s first participation in such a competition.
Next, the Lebanese team is set to face a duo from Turkey in a match that will qualify the winners to advance to the quarterfinals of the tournament, which is being held in Doha, Qatar.
If, on the other hand, the Lebanese team loses the match against Turkey, it will rank 9th out of 32 teams in the final rankings.
In light of the latest win, national coach Elie Nar said in a statement on Thursday that the Lebanese duo is displaying “a remarkable level in one of the stages of the world championship, against strong teams that have a long history in the game.”
Nar said that the win against the renowned Moroccan team was “resounding” because it made Lebanon one of the 12 strongest teams in the competition.