Sport in Syria
The Syrian Arab Republic is located in the Western Asian region and has a mostly flat terrain. With this in mind, it is no wonder that the sport of football has flourished in the region. Everything that is related to football in Syria is run by the Syrian Arab Federation for Football that includes the national team and their premier league.
Although they never qualified for the World Cup, there is no denying the passion that Syrians have for football. Their national team however has qualified for four Asian Cup tournaments. Football matches are often shown in television which helps its popularity among the population.
Recently, women's involvement in sports has been increasing which is a great leap for a rather traditional Arab country.
Other sports that have enjoyed quite a following in Syria include basketball, tennis and swimming. The Syrian national basketball team also has not made a large dent in the international stage. They debuted in Eurobasket 1949 held in Egypt.
For any major sporting event in Syria, there is no better place than the Abbasiyyin Stadium in Damascus. It is the home of their national football team as well as the staging area for a couple of Pan Arab Games (fifth and seventh).
Below are details of sports, sporting events and sports people related to Syria. Is there something missing? If you know of something that should be listed here, please let us know.
Popular sports of Syria
- Football (Soccer), basketball, tennis, swimming, weightlifting, judo, and karate
Syria Sporting Success
Great athletes from Syria
- Ghada Shouaa (heptathlon) - won Syria's first and only Olympic gold medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics.
- Nasser Al Shami (boxing)
- Firas Al-Khatib (football)
- Mosab Balhous (football)
Syria Sports trivia
- The Syrian National Football Team's first international was in 1949, losing to Türkiye 7–0.
- Syria first competed in the 1948 Olympic Games in London, its only competitor was Zouheir Al-Shourbagi in diving.
- Syria's first Olympic medal was by Joseph Athyeh in the men's heavyweight freestyle wrestling at the 1984 Olympic Games.
Syria at major events
Past sporting events hosted in Syria
- 5th and 7th Pan-Arab Games were held in Damascus
Upcoming sporting events in Syria
Annual sporting events held in Syria
Sporting Facilities in Syria
- Abbasiyyin Stadium in Damascus
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