“Bike Tripoli 4” elected “Empowering Women in Decision Making Positions” as its slogan and took place on the 7th of May 2017 at Rashid Karame International Exhibition Centre. It was organized in cooperation with “UNIC Beirut”, “Bike Lebnan”, “Beirut by Bike”, and the municipalities of Tripoli and Al-Mina and in partnership with LBCI. The event witnessed the participation of more than 1,700 cyclists and attracted a large crowd of politicians, as well as social and environmental activists and media representatives. The list of participants also counted the Lebanese explorer and Ambassador of “Bike Tripoli” Mr. Maxime Chaaya as well as representatives of various UN agencies and diplomatic missions working in Lebanon. The event featured various entertainment shows and musical performances throughout the day.

Mrs. Wafa Saguie EL Khoury, President of Social Way Association, acknowledged during the event that bikes were now considered an important means of transportation for Lebanese people and called on Lebanese officials to work on devising safe routes for bikes and enforcing relevant traffic safety standards. Furthermore, the event marked the release of a petition addressed to all Lebanese citizens to make Tripoli a model city for bicycles. It also witnessed the impactful address of The United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Representative Sigrid Kaag who made a video appearance to express her support to the association and to the event. Margo Helou, UNIC Beirut Director, said for her part that the UN considers sports as an important enabler of sustainable development, and a main element in establishing peace among parties and peoples through its principles based on respect for others, and promotion of tolerance. She also stressed that the UN’s partnership with Social Way is based on the shared goals that both the Centre and the Association believe in, including preserving a clean environment, encouraging the use of renewable energy and securing traffic safety”. Many hailed “Bike Tripoli” as the second most successful sports event in Lebanon after Beirut Marathon.”