A “successful” World Cup run has left the country with a buoyant feeling.
The 2022 Men’s World Cup of soccer was such a good treat for the tiny, but oil rich country of Qatar that local officials want to go after the 2036 Summer Olympics. If Qatar was good enough for FIFA, the governing body of soccer, it certainly would be good enough for the International Olympic Committee which had no problem in giving its crown jewel showcase to Vladimir Putin’s Russia for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. The IOC had no problem in handing out two Olympics to China, the 2008 Summer Olympics and the 2022 Winter Olympics, both in Beijing. Human rights violations? That would not bother the IOC as it pursues money and takes currency from those willing to do whatever it takes to host an IOC sports gathering. Qatar would seem to align with those IOC core values. Although the IOC does have some other values if its website is to be believed. The original values of Olympism as expressed in the Olympic Charter were to “encourage effort”, “preserve human dignity” and “develop harmony”. Now the IOC is pushing a more contemporary message. “Striving for excellence and encouraging people to be the best they can be. Celebrating friendship, which is quite unique to the Olympic Games – an event that brings people together every few years. Demonstrating respect in many different manners: respect towards yourself, the rules, your opponents, the environment, the public, etc.”
The number one question the IOC should have of Qatar is this. How many workers died erecting the World Cup stadiums. Qatar is admitting maybe 400 people died, human rights watchdogs claim the number may be around 6,500. Those workers were at best indentured servants. FIFA tried to muzzle athletes during the World Cup. The IOC has that history too. Qatar has the money to entice the IOC.
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Evan can be reached at evan_weiner@hotmail.com
