the winner is......Doha
Oil lubricates not only the heavy machines. The lubrication of relations depends also a lot on oil. For example Qatar accumulates sporting events like no other. Over the next year it will host at least five world championships (squash, swimming 25 meter pool, handball, boxing and athletics for disabled) and in addition to that almost forty (40) other international sporting events! Thanks to natural gas and oil. Plus the revenues from this.
When the IAAF decides tomorrow that the 2019 World championships will be held in the Gulf it will raise several questions, which already have popped a number of times about:
a. The country’s broken record on workers’ rights.
b. Bad attitude towards LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender)
c. Health issues regarding the heat for athletes and spectators
d. Poor woman rights (to participate in sport).
These points maybe overshadow the amounts spent on sporting venues, and bettering infrastructure in this very small but country. Whilst there is an other story too:
1. First time a big world sporting event in the middle east; Arab/Muslim country
2. Shining a positive light on the region
3. A big help / opportunity for woman sports
Negative minds comment: that it would largely go unread without a big gulp of oil money.
I am biased, sure. I worked and lived in Qatar. The big star that’s the poster boy for these championships started with me. But hey, it looks to me that the negative reports on the World Cup football play a major role to decide if Qatar will host this championship.
Doha is a clear favorite and I hope they win. (Although Track town USA -Eugene- is great and I have very good memories of Barcelona –OG and WCI- as well)
http://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2014/nov/16/qatar-iaaf-world-championship-2019-doha-eugene-barcelona?
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