Since assuming the position of Minister of Youth and Sports, Dr. Nora Berqdarjian has appeared as an academic figure carrying a reform project that was supposed to end a long era of chaos in the Lebanese sports sector, but the repetition of mistakes has cast doubt on her performance.
Of particular note was the sharp response the Minister received from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on August 5, 2025. In an official letter from Lausanne, the Committee asked Minister Berqdarjian to cease any political interference aimed at questioning the legitimacy of the elected Committee, and called on her to coordinate only with the President of the Olympic Committee recognized by the IOC, warning that any violation of this principle would be considered a breach of the independence of the Olympic movement and would expose Lebanon to sports sanctions.
At the same time, informed sources pointed to the Minister’s attempt to prevent a well-known sports lawyer from pursuing her ministry’s files with legal scrutiny. This lawyer, who publishes studies based on the decisions of the State Council and the Legislation and Consultation Authority, systematically revealed the violations of the Ministry of Youth and Sports of the regulatory laws, in particular Decree No. 4481/2016 to regulate the sports movement and Decision No. 90/1/2007.
In addition, she issued decisions that contradict the indication of the Financial Public Prosecution, which prohibits non-Lebanese from practicing paragliding for financial compensation. Instead of a legal response, the Minister tried to harass him by pressing for him to be summoned by the security forces, on the pretext that he violated one of her decisions, even though the decision itself was issued in violation of the rules, and she also practiced selectivity in the application of the laws, knowing that the lawyer had submitted all the required legal documents.
Private information confirms to that the relationship between the Minister and the Director-General of the Ministry has reached a dead end, after the latter insisted on respecting the legal and administrative principles and refused to pass decisions that are not based on texts or regulatory references.
Documents show that the Minister refrained from applying the provisions of Law No. 28/2017 (Right to Access Information), despite receiving an official request No. 3002/D dated 22/10/2025. The law explicitly states that the administration may not reject a request for information on the pretext that it does not possess it whenever this information falls within the scope of its powers, but the Minister refused to provide the applicant with the system of the union and a statement of its center – which do not exist at all (which puts her in an embarrassing position) – on the pretext of the need to determine the capacity and interest of the applicant, in clear violation of the amended Article 19.
The Minister’s practices did not stop at the limits of administrative files, but she filed a complaint before a security agency accusing some employees of cutting off the electricity while organizing a seminar, and forcing her to go down the stairs because she could not use the elevator at the end of working hours.
In return, sources from inside the ministry revealed that the minister is preparing to file a complaint with the Beirut Bar Association against the sports lawyer on charges of criticizing her performance.
Accordingly, the facts confirm that Minister Berqdarjian missed a historic opportunity to reform the Lebanese sports sector, after deviating from neutrality, and engaging in factional disputes that weakened confidence in the Ministry of Youth and Sports as an institution sponsoring national sports.
