American University of Beirut teams overpowered visiting rivals in the AUB President’s Club Second International Sports Tournament held at the Charles W. Hostler Student Center March 23-27, 2011.

Athletes from five universities took part in the tournament, hosted by the AUB President’s Club in collaboration with the University Sports Department. Men’s and women’s teams from the American University of Dubai (AUD), the American University of Sharjah (AUS), Jordan University for Science and Technology (JUST), and the Beirut Arab University (BAU)—competing in swimming only, battled with the American University of Beirut in soccer, basketball, volleyball, handball, tennis, table tennis, swimming, and track and field.

Ghaleb Halimi, director of the AUB Sports Department, said the tournament’s importance lies in bringing together students from different countries, allowing them to compete together to test their skills and compare levels of competence.

More Arab and international universities were initially scheduled to participate, but could not make it because of the strained situation in the region.

AUB teams easily dominated in many competitions, yielding first place only in men’s football (AUS first, AUB second) and men’s handball, where AUB lost to Jordan’s University of Science and Technology.

In track and field, although placing second in the men’s 100 meter, 400 meter, and 1,500 meter races, and the high jump, and only third in the relay, with the help of the women’s teams, AUB dominated the medals in track and field events, edging out the American University of Sharjah with five gold medals to four.

AUB women’s teams dominated volleyball, basketball, and futsal with first-place wins.

AUB men’s and women’s teams took over the swimming events, placing second, fourth, and ninth out of ten in the men’s and first and third in the women’s 50 meter freestyle; second and third in the men’s 100 meter backstroke and first in the women’s; first and second in both the men’s and women’s 50 meter breaststroke; second (men’s) and first (women’s) in the 100 meter IM; first in the women’s free style; first and third in both the men’s and women’s 50 meter backstroke; first and second in the women’s and third and fourth in the men’s 100 meter free style; second in both the men’s and women’s 50 meter butterfly; first and third in the men’s and first in the women’s 100 meter breaststroke; and first for both men’s and women’s teams in the 4 x 50 meter relay. Those results won AUB overall first in the swimming events (297 points) ahead of AUS (196), BAU (162), and JUST (58).