The Youth and Sports Committee, headed by Simon Abi Ramia, opens the paragliding file: No more leniency when it comes to the safety of lives.

The Parliamentary Youth and Sports Committee held a meeting chaired by MP Simon Abi Ramia, with the participation of MPs Ghassan Atallah, Raed Brou, Razi Hajj, Pierre Bou Assi, Jihad Pakradouni, and Waddah Sadek. Representatives from the Ministry of Youth and Sports, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, the Internal Security Forces Command, the Lebanese Air Force, and the president and vice president of the Lebanese Air Sports Federation also attended. The meeting focused on mechanisms for regulating the paragliding sector in Lebanon, which, according to Abi Ramia after the meeting, has long suffered from administrative and technical "disorganization." The committee commended the efforts of the Minister of Youth and Sports, Dr. Noura Bayrakdarian, in creating a new regulatory framework in coordination with relevant authorities. This framework aims to establish strict standards that respect public safety and require clubs to obtain official legal licenses. In this context, the committee stressed that regulating the sector in the future does not mean overlooking past violations. It emphasized the necessity of determining responsibility for accidents that resulted in fatalities during the practice of this sport, rejecting the principle of "forgiving past transgressions" when it comes to human lives. The meeting concluded with a set of recommendations and decisions, most notably: the establishment of a permanent coordination mechanism involving the Ministry of Youth and Sports, the Ministry of Public Works, the Civil Aviation Authority, the Lebanese Army, and the Internal Security Forces to reduce risks and accidents. The committee requested all participating entities and departments to provide it with all legal documents related to this sector and to present clear proposals for strengthening institutional cooperation to ensure the professional management of the sector through the newly established "Lebanese Federation for Air Sports."