History
The club's foundation began in 1934 by Hussein Sejaan, Hassan Ladki, Fouad Zantout, Youssef Shaker, Mustafa Shaker, Zouheir Yatim, Helmi Chehab, and Wafic Nsouli at that time. In 1945, the Ministry of the Interior gave permission to "Riyadi Club in Beirut" to get involved in various sports in its location in Raouché. Some of these sports were basketball, volleyball, handball, tennis, and table tennis (Ping Pong).
In 1947, Al Riyadi club moved from Raouché to Sanayeh. President Bechara El Khoury, Prime Minister Riad El-Solh and Saeb Salam attended the opening ceremony. They were also all present at Al Riyadi's first basketball game against Turkish Galatasaray S.K.. The club finally returned to its current location in Raouché facing the Bain Militaire in 1954.
In 1965, Riyadi launched its first women basketball team to compete with other clubs that already had women teams at that time such as Homenetmen Beirut and Antranik SC.
The closed court, named Saeb Salam Arena was accomplished in 1991 during the term of Club President Hisham Jaroudi and with assistance from club President Tammam Salam and many Al-Riyadi supporters from all across Lebanon.
Read more about this topic: Sporting Al Riyadi Beirut
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“It is my conviction that women are the natural orators of the race.”
—Eliza Archard Connor, U.S. suffragist. As quoted in History of Woman Suffrage, vol. 4, ch. 9, by Susan B. Anthony and Ida Husted Harper (1902)
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—Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772–1834)