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The National
12 hours ago
- Sport
- The National
Skier Manon Ouaiss on the Olympics and inspiring Arab girls
Lebanese Olympic skier Manon Ouaiss shares what it means to represent her country and the Arab world on the global stage
The National
12 hours ago
- Sport
- The National
Lebanese skier Manon Ouaiss wants to see more Arab athletes alongside her at Winter Olympics
When she was three years old, Manon Ouaiss' parents put her on skis on the slopes of Kfardebian, not knowing that 18 years later she would be representing Lebanon in Alpine skiing at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics. Growing up in Beirut in a family with four brothers – her twin and three older ones – Ouaiss developed a passion for skiing and the outdoors from a very young age. 'We love the outdoors. We respect and honour the nature and the mountains as much as we can,' Ouaiss told The National from her base in the French Alps, where she is preparing for the 2026 Milano-Cortina Olympics. While the Ouaiss clan share a love for sport and nature, Manon is the only family member to emerge as a competitive skier. She laughs when she talks about her siblings. 'When you get to know me a bit more, you understand, you can feel that I grew up in that kind of family,' said the 24-year-old. 'They gave me such a true personality, to keep up with that much testosterone at home.' Ouaiss recalls having 'the best memories ever' honing her craft at Mzaar ski resort in Kfardebian, which is less than an hour east of Beirut. 'I cultivated my passion there. And we often brag to our foreign friends that you can ski and swim on the same day in Lebanon,' she says. Ouaiss' career kicked off with winning domestic cups, which helped her climb the national rankings. The ski season is short in Lebanon, so she started to travel abroad for camps. Five years ago, she approached the Orsatus Ski Racing team in France to see if she could train with them in Brides-les-Bains, a small village near Les Trois Vallees, home to famous resorts like Meribel and Courchevel. The team welcomed her, and she believes joining them helped her take her skiing 'to the next level'. 'What's interesting about sports and to a greater extent competition is that all the values you acquire, whether it's discipline, emotion management, resiliency, they translate into every aspect of your life,' Ouaiss explained. 'So I was really able to improve all the resources you need to be a good athlete, which are like mental, physical, technical, tactical, as well. So, yeah, that's why my team is very interesting here in France, because they have a very 360-degree approach to skiing and to sports in general.' As she gets ready to head to her second Olympics in February 2026, Ouaiss is able to dedicate herself fully to skiing. When she competed in the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, she was working as an apprentice in a business law firm and studying law at a university in Paris. 'I've learnt that you can't make it with just your own will, you know, solely,' she said, reflecting on her Olympic experience. 'I remember, a very fun fact from the Olympics, I was alone with my coach and every single team there had their physiotherapist, mental prep, physical prep. They had a whole team around them. Even a serviceman, a technician, to tune and wax the skis. 'And it was me, myself and I, and my coach ... So, yeah, when you feel pain in your knee, you just Google it. 'Growing up in Lebanon and being a Lebanese athlete, you have to cope with these kinds of obstacles.' That's not to say it was not a great experience. Ouaiss took part in the slalom and giant slalom events – landing in the middle of the field in the former and not finishing in the latter. 'From a sporting perspective, the Olympics is just the ultimate goal for any athlete around the world, I believe,' she said. 'And the experience on a human level, it was such an exceptional experience because there's this thing about the Olympics that's very specific and unique, and that is the national dimension. 'You feel like there's a whole country behind you, supporting you. And raising the flag high on the world stage is a mission I take very seriously and with great pride and responsibility, of course.' After the Games, Ouaiss was forced to take two years off from skiing. She moved to Dubai and started working and didn't race between February 2023 and December 2024. To fill the void, she took up Muay Thai – training from 8pm to 11pm after work every day – and won a bronze medal at the World 2024 Muay Thai Championships after only one year of training. She says stepping away from skiing during that time was 'very difficult'. 'But honestly, I had no other choice,' she added. 'I had to work a bit, and also do some admin and logistics work to find a sponsor. And when I did so, I got back to it. 'Sometimes in Lebanon, unfortunately, like it's the love of my life, I'm super attached to Lebanon, really very patriotic, but I feel like there's kind of a culture of shame when you're a full-time athlete. 'People are like, 'Oh, what are you doing now? Skiing. Oh, but what's your real job?' 'You know, people are like, 'Oh, you do only skiing?' You feel like they're a bit judgy about it. So it was difficult to deal with the social pressure in general.' By the end of 2024, Ouaiss was able to find a sponsor – CMA CGM, a global shipping and logistics group – to back her through her qualification campaign and the 2026 Olympics, which has allowed her to quit her job, return to skiing, and settle in Brides-les-Bains full-time until the Games. Skiers race against the clock, but it's the varying elements and conditions that pose the biggest challenge. 'The slope is constantly changing depending on the race and the competition and the event, the snow conditions, whether it's hard, injected, or a bit more like soft and natural snow. It's a completely, like almost a different sport, you know, a different game,' she explained. 'There are so many changing components every single race. It's very stimulating. It's fun, but it's also, you know, in French, we say 'ingrat', which means ungrateful,' she says of the unforgiving nature of the sport. 'Every single moment and second in skiing changes everything. Because it's very intense. It lasts, let's say, between 50 seconds and 1:10 maximum every run. And on a tiny mistake, you can just DNF, or a medal can slip away.' Ouaiss hopes to inspire others back home with her performances. While the recreational ski scene is vibrant in Lebanon, Ouaiss admits the competitive skiing environment needs a boost. 'That's what I aim to do. I really try to contribute to a better level in Lebanon,' she said. 'And I really want us to be more ambitious because we kind of have this culture in Lebanon of, it's great to participate and to raise the Lebanese flag on the world stage, etc. But I feel like we could be more competitive, aim for medals, and so on.' Ouaiss grew up listening to stories of athletes who beat the odds and made it to the very top despite coming from the toughest of circumstances. She feels such scenarios are getting harder to imagine and that nothing can replace proper backing, structure, and financial support. 'There are no more fairytales,' she asserts. 'We need funding. We need specific resources to make it. So this is a call to action.' Another hope she has is to be joined by other Arab female athletes at the 2026 Olympics. In Beijing, Ouaiss was the only woman representing the Mena region. 'I felt like I was the ambassador of the Arab countries there,' she said. 'I hope it won't be the same for the next Olympics .' Ouaiss is a big fan of tennis world No 1 Jannik Sinner, who started off as an alpine skier before taking the ATP by storm and becoming a three-time Grand Slam champion. She admires his versatility and describes him as a 'real athlete' – words that most definitely one can use to describe Ouaiss herself. During her Muay Thai journey, Ouaiss didn't just win a medal at the World Championships, she was also chosen to be on the Muay Thai demonstration team that took part in some exhibition bouts during the Paris 2024 Olympics. Ouaiss won her clash against her Spanish opponent in the French capital and has set herself some lofty targets after the Winter Games in Cortina. Since Muay Thai is not officially an Olympic discipline, Ouaiss says she wants to switch to boxing, in hopes of qualifying for the LA 2028 Olympics. 'It's interesting to join this very exclusive club because I think fewer than 150 athletes in the history of the Olympics have competed in both summer and winter Olympics. So this could be cool,' she said. 'I have many ambitions. I'll finish with skiing, one step at a time, and we'll keep in touch.'
