I really like this part " Saddam's viewing comfort is paramount"...Yea right.. http://www.washingtontimes.com/world/20020305-73662470.htm Baghdad to bid for 2012 Olympics By Neil Doyle The Iraqi president already has invited bids for construction of a 100,000-seat Olympic stadium, which documents show is to serve as the foundation for a 300-acre Olympic Sports City in Baghdad. A company based in Jordan has been soliciting the bids from international contracting groups on behalf of the Iraqi Ministry of Education, which is in charge of the project. There will be many contractors bidding, but I can't tell you now how many yet," said a source at the Jordan-based company. Most of the bids are coming from European companies. As far as the modern-day Olympics go, Iraq is considered somewhat of a lightweight. It sent one athlete, a wrestler, to the 1996 Centennial Games in Atlanta, but he went home empty-handed. The Iraqi soccer team competed in Sydney in 2000. But after a 2-2 tie with Saudi Arabia in the second round, the Saudis advanced, not Iraq. In the Sydney Paralympics, a competition for handicapped athletes that follows the Olympics, some Iraqi weight lifters were disqualified for using steroids. In all, Iraq has won one medal, a bronze in weight lifting at the 1960 Games in Rome. Iraq does have a National Olympic Committee, although no one there could be reached for comment. A link on the official Olympic Web site (www.olympics.org) says the committee is headed by Saddam's son, Oday. Oday is infamous for unleashing violent rages against Iraq's forlorn national soccer team. When the Iraqi team returned to Iraq after being eliminated from the 2000 Asian Cup, Oday imprisoned three players. He once had the entire team whipped on the feet after it lost a World Cup qualifying match. British industry sources confirmed that several companies have been making inquiries about how to enter bids. The British Consultants Bureau confirmed that it has received "a couple" of queries from major contractors. The specifications for the two-tier stadium say it should be built according to British standards and comply with regulations of international sports federations governing soccer, and track and field. Bids to build the Iraqi sports complex were due Feb. 20, but the Jordanian source said the response was so overwhelming that bids from latecomers still might be considered. Saddam's viewing comfort is paramount, the documents say: "The seats are to be made of plastic, but the seats of the VIP platform and the first-class seats should be of very good quality. "The special position for the VIP seats must be separated from other parts by transparent partitions." The design must "reflect Iraqi architecture in different stages of history." British standards are specified for the reinforced concrete superstructure, fire prevention, electrical systems and sanitary equipment. The specifications state: "The construction of this stadium shall be the base for the future development of an Olympic Sports City in Baghdad."
What?? Why doesn't he spend the money to feed his people and all the starving little Iraqi children??
Because then he wouldn't be able to waste it on an Olympic bid that he has no chance of winning. Oh, and then there are his WMD programs and the Republican Guard...
Well.. if the people of Iraq are that stupid, then they deserve to die. They are the weakest link, goodbye!
It's not up to them, rH. Anyone who criticizes Saddam or the government disappears in the middle of the night and is never heard from again... Iraq makes more than enough money and receives more than enough food aid to feed its people; Saddam just hoards it all and doles it out to his lackeys and the army.
What would really be amazing would be for Baghdad to be selected over Houston for the 2012 Olympics. Can you say "fix"? If that happened, I think I would have to team up with Treeman and Lynus, put on my Arnold Schwarzenegger commando suit, and go kick Saddam in the tushie with my steel-toed boots! Being a relative pacifist, I would leave the heavy violence to you two!
Building sports stadiums for one's subjects has always been a way to appease the masses without improving people's standard of living. Its the easy "solution". The Romans knew it. The Houstonians know it. And now Saddam knows it.
I don't think he's doing this to please the masses or make them more docile, Joe Joe. He already rules them with an iron fist. This is just a PR stunt, and something to placate Saddam's incredible ego.
Joe Joe: What do you mean by that? If you're refering to our coming invasion... Then it makes sense. But no internal pressure or effort will succeed in unseating him. Countless coups and uprisings have been brutally crushed in the past, and there is no reason to believe that one will succeed in the future. I'm not sure if you understand how tight his grip really is on the reigns of power. If anyone on earth can be described as "all-powerful", in Iraq Saddam would fit that bill. Going against Saddam is bad for your health in Iraq. As for Uday, he is irrelevant. Daddy lets Uday run the Babel (Iraq's official newspaper) and the country's sports franchises, but that's it. Qusay is the one that Saddam really takes care of. He's being groomed to succeed Saddam.
How old is Saddam anyway? Shouldn't he be finding some bones of more dead soldiers to build a memorial on his grave with?
He will be 65 on April 28, 2002 <A HREF="http://www.cnn.com/resources/newsmakers/world/middle.east/saddam.html">Saddam Info</A> Mango
