Qatar 2022 World Cup Discussion

[TrueYankee26]

No worries mods this one won't be political: I actually like the logo.

[Red Wolf]

Mod edit is the star of this thread.

 

Also, Qatar can suck it.

[tp49]

I've actually been to Qatar.  Dare I say I even enjoyed the visit.

 

That said, the leadership is shady as all get out (see their issues within the GCC namely with Saudi, and UAE), and I won't be watching the World Cup for many reasons not limited to bribery and being the wrong time of year so there will be other things to pay attention to.

 

I do wonder however, if say Saudi Arabia qualified for the World Cup would they play in it?

[Digby]

18 hours ago, Ice_Cap said:

 

Did you think I was joking?

 

I didn't see anything that got edited; made a dumb joke, then tried to give a genuine response to a genuine question. Didn't intend to start down the mod edit path!

[dfwabel]

To All:

The IAAF World Track and Field Championships are in Doha, and the Women's Marathon was "a disaster". It began at midnight and 40% of the field dropped out.

Bolded by me

Quote

The race began at midnight to make it easier for the athletes, but the conditions were brutal nonetheless: The temperature at the start in Doha, Qatar, was 90 degrees, with 70 percent humidity, and the times reflected that.

A lead pack of five ran together for the first 20 kilometers (12.4 miles), while the trailing groups bunched up as best they could to endure through each of the six loops of the course. By 35 kilometers (21 miles) the group was down to four and included Ruth Chepngetich and Edna Kiplagat of Kenya, Rose Chelimo of Bahrain, and Helalia Johannes of Namibia.

In all 68 women started the race, and only 32 women broke 3 hours.
 

More from the BBC

Quote

In a race that started at midnight local time, Briton Charlotte Purdue was among the athletes to pull out in temperatures of 32C and with humidity reaching over 70%.

Organisers decided to go ahead with the event in its scheduled slot despite fears that the conditions might not be conducive for marathon running.

 

Linet Chebet of Uganda was taken away in an ambulance after failing to complete the distance, while Italy's Sara Dossena, another who did not finish, was seen in a wheelchair.

 

Ethiopia's marathon coach Haji Adillo Roba witnessed his trio of athletes stop, including Tokyo Marathon winner Ruti Aga.

"We never would have run a marathon in these conditions in our own country," he told BBC Sport.

 

 

[GDAWG]

Wow, track and field went back to obscurity as soon as Usain Bolt retired. 

[dfwabel]

Quote

"That's the time to leave a nightclub. I usually go to sleep at 10 o'clock in the evening. For me, it was hell - very, very hot," Vieira said. "How did I cope? Just a lot of ice and cold water."

50KM Walk winner Joao Vieria after his face which had a similar start time as the Women's Marathon the day prior.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/athletics/49868920

[UnclearInitial]

And in ‘news that will surprise absolutely no one’...

 

[goalieboy82]

still maybe hope.

https://www.espn.com/soccer/united-states-usa/story/4085568/us-could-still-host-2022-world-cup-ex-fifa-president-blatter

[sky1324]

21 minutes ago, goalieboy82 said:

still maybe hope.

https://www.espn.com/soccer/united-states-usa/story/4085568/us-could-still-host-2022-world-cup-ex-fifa-president-blatter

I doubt the US would get it given the 2026 Cup but I'd like to see Japan take it, honestly. They certainly have the infrastructure to host quickly and are probably hoping to continue their string of global-level sporting events after the Rugby World Cup and the Olympics.

[Red Comet]

Well, I'll play Devil's Advocate as to why the World Cup should stay in Qatar. By about every moral standard short of sociopathy there is no denying that Qatar has committed atrocity after atrocity against the workers building their stadiums. As a proud American, I would love to see the World Cup relocated to the US for 2022 if only to right blatant wrong that occurred at the final stage of voting.

 

However, I'm not going to be arguing from a moral perspective. But, rather a realpolitik perspective. Even if Qatar did manage to host the World Cup, they would likely find themselves deep in debt and left with stadiums that would likely not be maintained as much after the festivities end if other nations are any indication. 

 

So, why should we allow Qatar to not only abuse their workers but to also $500,000,000 a week preparing for the World Cup? 

 

Because although Qatar is a nation of 2,000,000 people, not only produces the world's most natural gas, they also produce a disproportionately large amount of oil for a nation of its size. 

 

So, if we have a nation that is spending about as much on the World Cup project as their annual gross domestic product and there is nothing to show for it? In a country where said abused workforce is the majority of the country's population? Well, in a region that has already been wracked with turmoil over the past decade plus so many workers dying in vain, I don't think its going to have a very pretty result not just nationally or regionally, but also globally as well. 

[MJWalker45]

27 minutes ago, Red Comet said:

Well, I'll play Devil's Advocate as to why the World Cup should stay in Qatar. By about every moral standard short of sociopathy there is no denying that Qatar has committed atrocity after atrocity against the workers building their stadiums. As a proud American, I would love to see the World Cup relocated to the US for 2022 if only to right blatant wrong that occurred at the final stage of voting.

 

However, I'm not going to be arguing from a moral perspective. But, rather a realpolitik perspective. Even if Qatar did manage to host the World Cup, they would likely find themselves deep in debt and left with stadiums that would likely not be maintained as much after the festivities end if other nations are any indication. 

 

So, why should we allow Qatar to not only abuse their workers but to also $500,000,000 a week preparing for the World Cup? 

 

Because although Qatar is a nation of 2,000,000 people, not only produces the world's most natural gas, they also produce a disproportionately large amount of oil for a nation of its size. 

 

So, if we have a nation that is spending about as much on the World Cup project as their annual gross domestic product and there is nothing to show for it? In a country where said abused workforce is the majority of the country's population? Well, in a region that has already been wracked with turmoil over the past decade plus so many workers dying in vain, I don't think its going to have a very pretty result not just nationally or regionally, but also globally as well. 

I wonder how much damage COVID-19 is doing as well. If this was Infantino I'd put stock in it. Blatter has been kissing up to US authorities because we're about to see another round of indictments.

[DS729]

If the FIFA scandal of a few years ago couldn’t take the World Cup away from Qatar I can’t see anything (aside from Covid-19) taking it away at this point. 

[burgundy]

 

Qatar World Cup continues to be an atrocity.

 

 

 

 

F*%#ing hell.

 

FIFA should be permanently dismantled for allowing this.

 

[Seadragon76]

It's WAY too late to move an event of this magnitude elsewhere, so.. yeah, FIFA is hosed here.

[MJWalker45]

2 hours ago, Seadragon76 said:

It's WAY too late to move an event of this magnitude elsewhere, so.. yeah, FIFA is hosed here.

If UEFA can move all of UEFA 2020 to England, there's still time to do the same with Qatar. But that would require morals, and we all know FIFA doesn't have those. 

https://www.dw.com/en/german-beach-volleyball-duo-shun-qatar-over-bikini-ban/a-56658786

This doesn't help their image either. You hold events on a beach and then tell the ladies they need to wear clothing that doesn't work for their sport? Did you not know this could be an issue before you put the tournament there?

[TBGKon]

On 2/25/2021 at 12:12 PM, Seadragon76 said:

It's WAY too late to move an event of this magnitude elsewhere, so.. yeah, FIFA is hosed here.

I know it's a mush smaller competition, but FIFA moved the 2003 Womens World Cup from China to the USA in early 2003 due to the SARS outbreak.

 

It can be done, but will it.....probably not.

[Red Comet]

I stand by what I said. The people in charge of Qatar are degenerate psychopaths (where isn’t that the case, though?) but it is too late to move something of this scale. And if you did move it at this point, revolution would probably be inevitable considering that now 7,000 lives have been lost for what is now no reason. Maybe they have it coming but gas is already too expensive as it is. Qatar falls into chaos and gas is $6.00/gallon. Forget that.

[IceCap]

8 hours ago, Red Comet said:

revolution would probably be inevitable

Not a bad thing in Qatar's case.

[Red Comet]

As I said, they have it coming, but the after effects would probably knock the world into a depression due to skyrocketing fossil fuel costs. Especially

if it spreads to the other Gulf States.

 

I know this seems like it has nothing to do with the World Cup, but these workers have been abused long before Qatar was “awarded” the World Cup and will continue long afterwards. Take away the World Cup and that will likely be the breaking point for yet another round of chaos in the Middle East.

Edited March 4, 2021 by Red Comet