The first arab woman to compete in Trap Shooting at the olympics. Since then, shes taken part in two more Olympic Games and has won three World Championships. And sarah eljizi is a Basketball Player who leads a series of sports programmes for right to play, an ngo promoting Skills Development and Social Cohesion among children living in refugee camps. Welcome to you both. Thank you. Thank you, kim. Ray, why dont you start us off by explaining what Trap Shooting is . Trap shooting, actually, its an olympic sport, and its defined by shooting clay targets. Its basically its an outdoor Shooting Range where we have 15 machines. Every machine sends a target, which is a random target with different angles, different degrees, whereby we have to call the target and we have to shoot it. So, its a very common sport, especially in lebanon, because we know in lebanon, most of the people are hunters, so and this sport actually, i took it from my dad. My dad, he was also a lebanese champion in Trap Shooting and he was the one who discovered this talent in me. So, tell me about that introduction. Do you remember the very first time your father showed you how to hold the gun . Yeah, because it left very special moments because first of all, i used to go with him hunting when i was very young, so i was introduced to all kinds of shotguns and stuff because of, first of all, hunting. And then, when i turned 14 years old, my dad said, ok, lets go and try Trap Shooting and this is where they discovered that i liked the sport, and why not to go further . And not long after that, you took part in your First International competition, right . Yeah, hejust dropped me in my first world competition. It was a world cup in cairo. I took seventh. I took a very high ranking. And this is where, for my parents, it was like a Turning Point. So, they said, ok, if you want to succeed in this, then we have to stop everything and just put the focus all on Trap Shooting. Sarah, how did you get into sports . When i was in school, i was maybe nine years old, they had this activity summer activities or the activities they do during the weekend and my friends told me, lets try and Play Basketball. I said, i have nothing. I dont know how to Play Basketball. Lets learn, come, try. You experience the game and you learn some skills and you see, if you fit, you continue. So, this is how we started. We used to spend all of our free time playing and this is how i continued and i discovered that i loved this game. You love this game. And what did you love about basketball, sarah . Its all about teamwork and you have to have leadership and it combines many skills together. These skills, like, these are life skills. Now, we teach them to young children, like teamwork, collaboration, communication, leadership, Decision Making these are all combined together to make a player, so, and i used to be fast, and im still fast, so i fit. You fit and were yourfamily encouraging of you going out and playing basketball . Not that encouraging because they were not aware they did not have the awareness of the importance of sports on children. What encouraged me is that my sister and i were playing on the same team the School Varsity team. We used to play all the time together. This is what kept me going. 0k. Ray, what are the key qualities that you need to excel as a trap shooter . Well, i believe that, first of all, its in the dna because every shooter, you ask him, or ask her, they always come back to the history of the family. So, everyone says, ok, because my dad was a shooter or my mother, or my grandfather so, its very rare to find, like, new entries, like, new people entering this kind of sport. So, basically, i believe that it has to be first of all, in the blood, like, you have to love the game. Second of all, there is no team, so its all based on you. You have to be comfortable, you have to be focused, you have to pull the trigger, so the opponent, actually, is the target, so, its not another athlete, or someone in front of you. So, thats the difference. Its all based everything is based on you. Its like, the basketball the difference is, like, you have a support team with you. Like, if its not your day and youre notjust throwing the ball and entering, like, you have a back up. But if its not my day and im not pulling the trigger and im not hitting the target, no one would do that for me, so, thats the difference. Well, sarah, let me come to you with that question. You know, basketball is a team sport. What are the qualities that you think make a good player . I see that to be a good player, you have to challenge yourself, as ray was saying, since her sport is more individual than basketball. But also, you need to have that peace between you and your inner self and to be consistent, to have this courage and empowerment between you yourself and your surrounding, and to work on your Mental HealthMental Health and physical health. Right. You cannot be fit on court if you dont work on your Mental Health. Its interesting that you both mentioned that, that Mental Health. Yes, because basically, its something today, a lot of athletes are talking about Mental Health, and the Turning Point of this is due to the covid. So, the covid was a transition for all athletes and especially when they rescheduled the Olympic Games. So, that was, for me because i went to tokyo that was really challenging because weve been preparing for the past four years and you are ready to go and then, suddenly, they postponed it a year. So, a year for an athlete is really something. So, this is something its not any more a taboo. Its becoming a daily discussion because it is very important in an athlete because we have a lot of common things, we have a lot of work to do, so physically, we get tired, mentally, we get tired. Putting all the time challenges in front of us, its something that really requires a lot of calmness and dedication, and so, its not easy because when we win, people see the end result but they dont know exactly whats behind the stage. Sarah, did you think when you were growing up that a career in sports was possible . Here in lebanon . Here in lebanon. No, theres no way. No. No way . Very hard. No way. No way . So, that was. So, you had to have a plan b was that the idea . Exactly. I focused on my career now at my work, not as a basketball, as a career on basketball, as a career. I play ok, i play on a i played in the first division. Im still playing, but i dont look for it as a career. I take it as a hobby. And just so i understand, the reason why you didnt look to it as a possible career was because its just not possible . The lack of. Yeah, of sponsors. Of finance, the lack of the support of the government, the federation. We do not, unfortunately, have in lebanon a vision in sports because basically, the people who are over it are not people educated much or they have a Sports Background to set a plan and a vision to develop sports in lebanon. So, basically, the lack of the finances and the lack of the mental and the support of the sport system in lebanon, we do not have it. So, its something that we have to do on our own, with the supports of the families and friends and, luckily, if we have sponsors. And its hard work, its really hard work, and you pay for it from your savings. Like, if you want to be an athlete, you have to train well, like strengthening and gym in the morning, lets say, and basketball at night. You have to schedule your trainings. And you have to pay for your personal trainer if you want to train at the gym, because you cannot train whatever you like to prevent injuries and so on. While if we want to talk about men athletes, they have their trainers, they have their nutritionists, you have to schedule your meals. But this is not available for all women athletes here in lebanon. So, its a completely different situation for male athletes, ray, would you say . Basically, like, if i want to talk about basketball. Im talking about basketball. I think the mens Basketball Team is more supported by the government and the federation than women, you know . So now, you can see a little bit of transition of supporting the women because i think now, theyre competing in the asian cup . Asian. . Yes. I forgot which. So, you see, like, there is a little bit of support. But in teamwork, they focus more on the men. And this is something, for me, its not acceptable because as men can do results, women, they can do results as well and better. And today, the ioc, they actually insisted on having. This is International Olympic committee . 0lympic committee, they insisted to have Gender Equality between men and women. If you want to go back to the past Olympic Games, you can see there was, like, 60 men, 70 men, 30 women. Until today in tokyo, you find, like, 45 women, and the rest men. So, were becoming equal and they introduced the mixed team events. So, just to give the right for the men and women to be together and to prove that Gender Equality in sports is something very important. Right. So, youre both saying that what is Holding Women back is a lack of support, a lack of sponsorship, you know, the infrastructure. So, how have you, ray, how have you made it . How have you managed to overcome those hurdles . Well, first of all, i had the support of my parents. They invested a lot on me. They invested time, they invested money, they invest because they believed in me. And then, i had to work, as well, to and my salary was just to go to pay my trainings, my expenses, everything. And my main goal was to do a result because in lebanon, they wait for you to do results. Like, you do not get the support before getting the result which, actually, the support you needed before getting the results. Exactly. So, they wait for you to do a result and then, if someone comes over to help you and support you. Youre lucky. Youre lucky enough to do so. I was lucky that my work paid off at the end of the day, after ten years, like, i got sponsors and everything. But ive won eight World Championship medals. Ive done three Olympic Games, i won Asian Championships championship, so, ok, now lets talk. But where have you been in the past years, you know . Yeah. So, this helped me to find sponsors and the support. Definitely today, its not like before because, due to the Economic Situation in lebanon, and the banks are not available any more and they took our money, so its harder today to find the Financial Support and sponsors in lebanon. Even. Sarah, go ahead. Even they do not even stream womens games. Yeah. Showing them on tv . Yeah, they stream all the mens games, but and even for individual sports, they do not stream them. Yeah. At all. Its like, luckily, you know, when we watch the news and you go to the sport sector, they Start Talking about the results or, like, for example, Manchester United won. Like, ok, but why dont you start from lebanon . Now, lebanon is the country hosting the largest number of refugees per capita its estimated that 1. 5 million syrians are currently living here. Sarah, you work with the ngo right to play and you run programmes for kids living in refugee camps. Who are the kids you work with and what is the situation at the camps like for them . I didnt know that such places exist, like, five minutes away from my home in beirut. The first time i entered a refugee camp, i was really surprised and shocked by this what i saw. What were you seeing . Like, the streets are full of dust and water. All the electric cables are how do we say it . Tangled cables . Tangled together and the waters dropping on electric cables. Yeah. The situation is really. Horrible. Horrible, yeah. Now, the programmes that you run are to promote Social Cohesion and also to teach skills, so just tell me about that work how do you do that . On all our projects, we use the play based Learning Methodology and we during the sessions, we integrate life skills with the game, with the technical skill. They realise, after playing, like, if you want if you are playing football, lets say, and your team lost, has lost the game, then after the discussion, we reflect on this. What do you think was the reason you lost the game . So, they give answers, and then, they figure out that there was no teamwork between the players. So, if we emphasise about this skill, like you have to communicate before passing, you have to have eye contact, make sure that your team mate is looking at you, or maybe to give him a sign for him to receive the ball. So, we focus on these skills to help them improve in the game. Now, ray, you served as a un youth and goodwill ambassador for four years. How did you use your personal experience to promote Gender Equality . Starting with my sports and the experience i had at the beginning of my career, seeing how women in lebanon are being really. Far from getting their rights, and especially when it comes to sports. And this is where actually, i went also to campus, like, a lot of campuses in south and north of lebanon. And the main goal was actually is to introduce a sport in a way or another, that a woman, she can. And ifigured out also, not only the community is not helping, but really, that the girl was not allowed even to hold a ball or to go Play Basketball or football. So, it was for me, i was really shocked. I thought that today, after all these years, like, sports is becoming more common, women have more rights. But basically, no. So, this is where one of my missions is to develop sports in lebanon, where we create a lot of courts, like Basketball Courts And Football courts, and being present with the kids, and tell them about my story and how i started, and how difficult it is actually to pass through all this negativity and bullying, but we have to overcome them all. Being a role model for them, this helped them to start to think in a different way. Sarah, youre working in a very challenging environment. How do you stay positive . Ok, on a personal level, because after what you see in the refugee camps, or in the areas i work with. You have an emotional intelligence, like, you feel with people and so on. And also, it all reflects on yourself, and it affects me. So, i try to take care of my Mental Health through i do meditation, breathing exercises, i train. And this helps me a lot. So, sports has also helps you with that . Yeah. 0k, 0k. Now, sarah, sport is notjust a way to empower kids in refugee camps. Its also been a way to provide job and Career Opportunities for female coaches. So, tell me about that. Yeah, so, our mission, or our vision on our programmes is to work on a sustainable level. Like, if one day, the project ends, what would these coaches what will they do . So, what we did is that we gave them trainings with the certification trainings, and, like, now on the kids athletics project, they have certificates that allows them to work as an athletics coach, but on a beginner level. So, this gives opportunities to coaches, to. Job opportunities to coaches. 0n the Football Project. The coaches took the level d and level c certificate from the football association, lebanese football association. And also, on one of our Football Projects, they have they had trainings. Most of the coaches reached the most advanced level, and they took the icc, International Coaching clinic, and they have their certificates, and many of them opened up their academies, or they have a job now as a coach. Fantastic, so youre seeing direct results there. Yeah. Now, ray, youre a coach. You help run yourfamily� s business, as well. You have your own line of ammunition. What is harder training for the olympics, or being an entrepreneur in lebanon . Training for the. Laughter. To tell you the truth, no, training, because it requires a lot of hard work. Like, i train nine hours, ten hours a day. It requires a lot of dedication and patience, and. Keep on fighting towards a goal to make everyone proud, to make your country proud. No, its hard, and. Because any business you turn, like, at any time, you can shut down or you can excel, or there is nothing, because you do it for yourself, you know . But when you are on a mission, on a national mission, its different. The responsibilities are bigger. The division is wider, the targets are bigger. So, i believe, yeah, training for the olympics is way, way harder. Way harder. Because theres a lot of sacrifices you have to do, a lot of sacrifices, like, on your routine, daily routine, towards your family, towards your friends. No, its hard work. Its really hard work. Sarah, when you introduced these initiatives to help women play a greater role in the matches and the camps, how did people receive it . I can tell you a story that happened when we started implementing a Football Project in a refugee camp in the north. The communities there are a bit strict, and they have this strict mindset, and they are religious. So, they did not welcome or accept that female coaches, first to train football, because its a mens game, its not made for girls. And they did not even accept for girls to be trained on football, and public. Like if the court is open to the public, they did not welcome this idea. We faced a few challenges. We faced a few challenges regarding this. And they started to talk about this, the religious figures, and the mosque. And during the friday prayers, they even took away the teams, the players from their coaches and assigned a male instead of the female coaches. So, was the solution, sarah, to find a secluded location where the girls could play without being seen . Exactly, this was the solution back then, because, as i told you, they were not allowed to be seen to the public. So, we were lucky that the centre we worked with had a space in the backyard, and it is covered. So, what we did is we rehabilitated the space into a mini football pitch, and it was covered for the girls to have the chance to play. Right. This helped us to move forward, like step by step, and to gain back the teams we lost. And this encouraged more participation, girls participation. Even the parents started to attend the sessions to watch their girls play football. And now, its becoming better and better. Ray, you have your eyes on paris 2024, which will be your fourth consecutive 0lympics, which is amazing. How are you feeling about paris . So excited, so positive. Ifeel this time, im much more ready than any other time, because the experience is playing a huge role, in the preparation towards the Olympic Games. But lets talk first about the qualifications. Right. Which is more important, and im starting now in august. Its our first qualifications for the Olympic Games, and then, i have the Asian Championship end of the year in october, and hopefully youll see me in paris. Yeah, fingers crossed. Chuckles. So, female athletes in the middle east are a growing group. What message would you have for young women who are looking to take up a sport . Sarah . I tell them, especially young girls, do not stop. Always keep going. Be passionate about the sports you do. And take care about your Mental Health, your physical health and your nutrition. Ray, what advice would you have . Well, a lot of advices. Lets hear them basically, i believe that sport is the future, and we as women, with all the capacities we have because its in the genes, you know, its genetic we are multi functional people, and we have a lot of potentials. We are more responsible, we are more persistent in what we do. We like to reach goals in our life. And, especially when it comes to different sectors, and as we can see today, women, they are being implemented everywhere, like, in all the sectors. So my message to her is not only keep going, but keep growing, and always believe in yourself and love yourself. Because this is what matters first. If youre not Strong Enough to believe and love yourself, you will never, ever be able to reach your goal. So, keep it up and just be consistent in what you do. Ray and sarah, thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you so much. It was a rather misty and murky start to the day. We had some quite dense fog patches first thing this morning, but much of that has tended to lift up and clear away. And for many of us, weve got some sunshine out there. This was the scene a bit earlier on in cheshire, some lovely blue skies, a bit of cloud over the hills in the distance. And its higher pressure which is going to keep things settled and drier today for most of us, just this Weather Front affecting the far north of scotland. Some outbreaks of rain at times and a rather brisk south westerly wind here as well. The rain will continue on and off across the far north and north West Of Scotland into the afternoon. Elsewhere, though, lots of blue skies and sunshine, just a bit of cloud around the irish sea there lapping into the coast there of cumbria, lancashire, a bit of cloud also around the english channel. But for most, dry, sunny and warm. Temperatures, 23 to 26 celsius, a bit cooler further north and west, 16 to 18 degrees in North Western scotland. And thats where the cloud will continue overnight tonight. Elsewhere, though, with the clear skies, the light winds, we will once again see some dense fog patches developing across central and southern areas. Temperatures, generally speaking, in double figures. But it could be a bit chilly, i think, to start off on Monday Morning across Northern Areas of england. But as we start the new working week, more dry, more sunny weather in the forecast. The mist and fog will clear away. Lots of blue skies and sunshine. Still, though, that cloud affecting the far north West Of Scotland, still a bit breezy here. A few spots of rain into the Northern Isles i think into the afternoon. A warmer day, though, temperatures 25 degrees in aberdeen, 25 to 28 celsius quite widely across england and wales. Tuesday, more of the same, but perhaps that cloud across Northern Scotland is reduced slightly. So there will be a bit more in the way of sunshine coming through here and it will be a drier day. Lots of sunshine elsewhere and again, temperatures widely in the mid to high 20s, although with a change in Wind Direction across scotland, not quite as warm or hot across eastern scotland. But as we go into the middle part of next week, even warmer air will start to move its way in from the near continent, the humidity rising with that as well. So there will be some fairly uncomfortable nights going into next week. But widely across england and wales, temperatures mid to high 20s, perhaps 30 celsius in some parts, where scotland and Northern Ireland are still fine with some sunshine and temperatures in the low 20s. Bye bye. Live from london, this is bbc news. Headteachers in england race to find ways to reopen their schools after being told to shut buildings made with unsafe lightweight concrete. President zelensky declares war on corruption, promising to hold to account those responsible for plundering ukraine after a ukrainian billionaire businessman is held on suspicion of fraud and money laundering. Police in israel open an investigation into the use of live fire by officers during clashes in tel aviv between rival groups of eritrean asylum seekers. Nearly 150 people were left injured. Hello and welcome. To the uk now, and headteachers in england are in a race this weekend to find ways to reopen their schools after being told to shut buildings made with unsafe concrete. Many from the 104 affected schools are busy rejigging timetables, seeking alternative classrooms and trying to rent temporary toilets. Frances read reports. The crumbling of a concrete that simply wasnt made to last. Raac was a post war solution, now causing a headache for 21st century britain. More than 100 schools in england have been told they need to close. Labour has announced it will force the government to reveal a complete list of affected schools. And now calls for transparency on the scale of the problem