BLOM Bank and Beirut Marathon Association signed an exclusive sponsorship agreement for Beirut Marathon for three consecutive years (2016 – 2017 – 2018) during a ceremony held at the Bank’s headquarters on Tuesday, July 19. The ceremony was attended by Mr. Saad Azhari - Chairman and General Manager of BLOM Bank -, Mr. Amr Azhari - General Manager -, Dr. Amine Awad - Group Advisor-, Mrs. Jocelyne Chahwan -Assistant General Manager Head of Retail Banking - and Mrs. Isabelle Naoum - Head of Communications Department.  Mrs. May El Khalil - President of the Beirut Marathon Association -, Vice President Gen. Hassan Rustom, Members of the Board of Trustees Mrs. Rosy Boulos, Mrs. Michelle Chammas Garzouzi and Mr. Pierre Gaspard, Mr. Hassan Muhieddine - Beirut Marathon Association’s media consultant -, Mr. Wissam Terro - Race Director - and Mr. Abdallah Abdelnour - Events, Hospitality & Outreach Director-, represented Beirut Marathon Association.

Mr. Saad Azhari welcomed the audience and stated he was happy with BLOM being the exclusive sponsor of the Marathon; this step is not new, as both parties had collaborated in this regard from 2004 until 2012. Mr. Azhari declared, “It was a great experience during which we kept pace with the exceptional development of this race; it is outstanding how it grew to become the most important event in Lebanon. It went beyond being a sports activity thanks to its objectives and charitable, cultural, and economic values.

Mr. Azhari signaled that “BLOM Bank is partnering again with Beirut Marathon Association after the latter’s experience with Banque du Liban which represents all Lebanese banks and we are proud of being once again the main sponsor of this event. We hope this occasion reflects the civilized image of our beloved Beirut and Lebanon through the international and local media coverage so we can relay the story of this geographically small country but great in terms of the ambitions of its people.

For her part, Mrs. May El Khalil congratulated BLOM Bank’s family on its security following the latest attack on the Headquarters and ensured that Beirut Marathon Association seeks to promote peace and understanding. Mrs. El Khalil said: “BLOM Bank gave us the confidence and motivation to grow and earn the bronze and then the silver label to go along the banking achievements and awards of BLOM Bank. Together we put Lebanon on the global map and we are today proud of this partnership.”

Mrs. El Khalil ended her speech by expressing her thanks and appreciation to Mr. Azhari for his continuous trust and to the Board Members and teams in BLOM Bank and Beirut Marathon Association who are working on the final arrangements. Mrs. El Khalil invited to attend the race launching ceremony on the 8^th of August at 6:30 pm at Lancaster Hotel – Raouche and called everyone to run on the 13^th of November, 2016 under the slogan “Peace, Love, Run”.