Organizers: Beijing Olympic Village offers good religious service

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BEIJING, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- A Beijing Olympics official said here Friday that since the Olympic Village opened on July 27, its religious service center had received 665 athletes and officials from more than 50 countries and regions.

Deng Yaping, deputy director of Olympic Village Department and spokeswoman for the Olympic Village, said at a press conference that 69 professional religious service volunteers at the center had provided around-the-clock services to villagers in English, Arabic, Italian, French, Korean and Hebrew.

On Aug. 3, a foreigner came to the center to ask for a prayer ceremony for his mother who had died a few days ago. A priest prayed for the man.

Deng said that on the following Sunday, the priest asked all the people who had come for praying to stand and pray again for the man's mother. The visitor said he left the center with peace of mind and was greatly moved by the love and concern he received by the people from different countries.

Deng said the village provides services in five religions, including Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Hindu and Judaism. Bibles are displayed in the religious service center and athletes can use them free.

She also briefed journalists on other services and environmental protection measures in the Village.

She said the main dining hall for athletes served the largest number of guests in Olympic history on Aug. 8 when the Games opened. From noon to 5:00 p.m., 18,634 people dined there, far exceeding the comparable figure of 9,876 at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games and 10,515 in Athens in 2004.

The Beijing Olympic Village received the largest number of worldwide dignitaries in Olympic history. The number far exceeded expectations. By Aug. 14, a total of 62 heads of state, government and royals and leaders of international organizations paid visits to the Olympic Village.

International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge and his predecessor Juan Antonio Samaranch also visited the Village, Deng disclosed. Rogge lived in the village for three days from Aug. 10 to 12.

The Olympic Village has done "the best job in environmental protection in the history of the Olympic Games," Deng said.

The village uses the most advanced biotechnology system to treat six tonnes of kitchen waste daily. Hot water is supplied via the 6,000 square meters of centralized solar water heating system.

from:

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-08/15/content_9343081.htm

Dakar Rally cancelled due to 'direct' terrorism threat

[Published: Saturday 5, January 2008 - 15:29]

The world's most arduous race, the Dakar Rally, has been cancelled.

Organisers of the rally cancelled the event following "direct" threats of terrorism against the event, and the slaying of a family of French tourists in Mauritania on Christmas Eve.

Eight of the rally's 15 stages were due to pass through the African Republic.

The annual car and motorcycle marathon had been due to start in Lisbon on January 5th with the finish coming in Dakar on January 20th.

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http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/breaking-news/sport/motor-sport/article3310729.ece
© Belfast Telegraph

Fouhami recalled by Morocco

Fouhami recalled by Morocco

Veteran goalkeeper Khalid Fouhami has been handed a surprise recall to Morocco's Nations Cup squad.

Fouhami has not played for the Atlas Lions for more than two years.

But he was named by coach Henri Michel in a party of 23 for the tournament which kicks off in Ghana on 20 January.

It was Fouhami's goalkeeping error which saw Morocco beaten 2-1 by hosts Tunisia in the 2004 Nations Cup final.

However, Morocco will be without injured midfielder Mbark Boussoufa when they go in search of what would only be their second Nations Cup title.

Spain-based Mohamed Yaacoubi and former Ajax striker Nourdin Boukhari have been dropped.

Morocco play Namibia in their Group A opener in Accra on 21 January and also share the group with Guinea and hosts Ghana.

Squad:

Goalkeepers:
Abdelilah Bagui (Maghreb Fes), Khalid Fouhami (Raja Casablanca), Nadir Lamyaghri (Wydad Casablanca)

Defenders:
Jamal Alioui (FC Sion Switzerland), Abdessamad Chahiri (Difaa El Jadida), Mickael Chretien (Nancy, France), Talal El Karkouri (Qatar SC, Qatar), El Armine Erbate (Al Dafra, United Arab Emiratyes), Hicham Mahdoufi (Metalist Kharkiv, Ukraine), Abdeslam Ouaddou (Valenciennes, France)

Midfielders:
Soufiane Alloudi (Al Ain, United Arab Emirates), Badr El Kaddouri (Dinamo Kyiv, Ukraine), Abderrahmane Kabous (CSKA Sofia, Bulgaria), Houcine Kharja (Piacenza, Italy), Abdelkrim Kissi (EN Paralimini, Cyprus), Youssef Safri (Southampton, England), Tarik Sektioui (FC Porto, Portugal)

Forwards:
Hicham Aboucherouane (Esperance, Tunisia), Maroune Chamakh (Girondins Bordeaux, France), Bouchaib El Moubarki (Grenoble, France), Youssef Hadji (Nancy, France), Youssef Moukhtari (Al Jazeera, Qatar), Moncef Zerka (Nancy, France).

Story from BBC SPORT:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/sport2/hi/football/africa/7171303.stm

Published: 2008/01/04 10:21:02 GMT

© BBC MMVIII

Women Call for More Sports Facilities

The Middle East's Leading English Language Daily Friday 7 December 2007 (27 Dhul Qa`dah 1428) Women Call for More Sports Facilities Najah Alosaimi, Arab News — RIYADH, 7 December 2007 — Despite dramatic advances in the number of women worldwide participating in sports, Saudi women remain unable to practice sports at an amateur level in the Kingdom. Some Saudi sports specialists believe that women are prevented from participating because of cultural attitudes — something that hampers the amount of support they are given. Dr. Rashid Al-Hamed, general director of the Saudi Tennis Federation, believes that if there were enough international level sports facilities accessible to women in the Kingdom then women could explore their physical potential, regardless of cultural barriers. “Currently businessmen are investing money in having sports facilities for the elite rather than for the less well-off,” said Al-Hamed, adding that the current situation of sports facilities hamper women from taking part in sports. Dr. Abdul Hameed Al-Masood of sports education at the Ministry of Education and general director of the Saudi Federation of Gymnastics Fund, said there are serious misconceptions about sports in the Kingdom. “The majority of Saudi women consider sports as something that only overweight people turn to in order to lose weight. Women need to be encouraged to involve themselves in sport activities and understand that sports are not only healthy but also entertaining, especially in our society where women have a limited entertainment outlet,” he said. Dr. Majedah Besar, a women’s activist, said: “We are in need of special committees to take the responsibility of encouraging women to participate in sports and promote respect for women and girls, who wish to practice sports according to Shariah law.” She added: “Saudi society still resents women doing sport. This is exacerbated by sporting organizations paying too little attention on this area.” She added that the committee should be responsible for funding sport facilities and organizing sport activities and tournaments for women. Women interviewed by Arab News expressed their dissatisfaction at the lack of sports facilities for women in the Kingdom. They added that the facilities that are available are either of low quality, too expensive, or limited in the activities they hold. It is difficult to count the exact number of women’s clubs in the Kingdom. However, some people estimate there are 25 sports clubs in the Kingdom catering for women. Activities include fitness classes, spas and a few outdoor physical activities. In Riyadh, a city of five million, there are only three women’s sports clubs. In many sports centers around the world, members are entitled to enjoy all services. However, sports centers in the Kingdom charge membership fees and then separate fees to use facilities. Shayma Al-Utaibi, a 27-year-old teacher, registered herself at a leading sports center in Riyadh, paying SR780 to learn how to swim. Once she completes her course she will have to pay SR50 a day to use the pool. “Sports clubs in the Kingdom are very expensive and this is because women have no other alternative but to use the few venues, which are available and which monopolize charges,” said Al-Utaibi. Many women complained that sports clubs are inconveniently located far from urban areas. “It’s a big challenge getting to a club,” said Badriah, a 33-year-old Saudi mother. “Since I am not allowed to drive a car and most of the clubs are located too far from the city, I face a lot of difficulties. I have to ask my husband to take me around,” she said, adding that she often misses sports lessons. “If there were more clubs in residential areas, then women wouldn’t need to beg male family members to take them around,” she added. Other women expressed concern at the lack of facilities at sports centers. Rania Al-Karawi is a big fan of football and believes that this sport is not restricted to males. However, she is unable to play football anywhere. There are no clubs providing women with the chance to play football. “Almost all clubs offer a very limited range of sport,” she said, adding that her passion for football has never stopped. She still plays at home in the yard.

Copyright: Arab News © 2003 All rights reserved. Site designed by: arabix and powered by Eima IT

Distracted France settle for a draw against Morocco

AFP, PARIS
Sunday, Nov 18, 2007, Page 23

France midfielder Jerome Rothen, right, vies with Morocco's Michael Basser during their friendly soccer match at the Stade de France in Saint Denis, France, on Friday. PHOTO: AFP

France, probably sidetracked by the closing stages of Euro 2008, drew 2-2 with Morocco in a friendly at the Stade de France on Friday night.

Though hardly a classic performance by France, it can hardly be expected with their ticket to Austria and Switzerland next year on the line in the coming days.

Tarik Sektioui opened the scoring for Morocco in the eighth minute before Sidney Govou and Samir Nasri put the home side ahead. Youssef Moukhtari then pulled the game back to 2-2 with an equalizer six minutes before full time.

QUALIFICATION

French fans know that if Italy were to win in Scotland late yesterday, Raymond Domenech and his men will have qualified automatically. If that does not happen, France need at least a draw in Ukraine on Wednesday to go through.

Concentrating against Morocco must have been hard but the weather will be even colder in Kiev in five days time and Ukraine will be highly-motivated to beat the World Cup runners-up.

GOOD OPPONENTS

Morocco midfielder Houssine Kharja, left, vies with French defender Patrice Evra during their friendly soccer match at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, France, on Friday. PHOTO: AFP

"Morocco were good opponents who forced us to play and made it difficult and that's what we are expecting on Wednesday. I would like to thank Henri [Michel, Morocco coach] and the Moroccan team because they did not make it at all easy for us," Domenech said. "That's what I wanted. In Ukraine on Wednesday we must also show our fighting spirit because the match is not already won. We have to go and play it."

"It was not a bad thing to draw against Morocco because there were 10 times more Moroccans in the stadium than French and Morocco played well. But the most important thing is Wednesday's match and with the pitch virtually frozen it will serve us well in similar conditions against Ukraine," French defender Francois Clerc said.

Egypt to host Arab Olympic Games

2 November 2007

DUBAI — November 11 will mark the launch of the 11th Arab Olympic Games, which will be held in Egypt this year, a Press release said. This event was previously hosted by Egypt in 1965.

A Ministerial committee, consisting of 13 Ministers and headed by Prime Minister Dr. Ahmed Nazif, has been formed to oversee the event. In addition, an organising committee for the games has been formed, headed by Hassan Sakr, the head of the Egyptian National Council for Sports, and consists of a further 21 committee members.

The organisation of such tournaments aims at bringing together and uniting the Arab people as well as bringing competitive sports in Arab countries to a higher level in order to prepare and train athletes mentally and physically for global tournaments. The Arab Games is an exceptional event as it promotes the communication between the Arab youth under the umbrella of the League of Arab States, as well as providing exposure for the Arab champions. It goes without saying that sport is one of the most popular ways of bringing people closer together and resolving conflicts.

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle.asp?section=sports&xfile=data/sports/2007/November/sports_November45.xml

Egypt to host 11th Pan-Arab Games in November

CAIRO, Oct. 25 (Xinhua) -- Egypt is busy preparing for the 11th Pan-Arab Games slated for Nov. 11 to 25, an official of the organizing committee said Thursday.

The venues of the Pan-Arab Games will be in eight governorates in Egypt, namely Cairo, Giza, Port Said, Ismailia, Alexandria, Assiut, Aswan and North Sinai, said the official on condition of anonymity.

According to earlier reports by local media, it's estimated that some 7,000 athletes and officials from 22 Arab countries and regions will participate in the upcoming Games, but the exact number of athletes and the agenda have not been fixed.

The Egyptian State Information Service will establish a media center during the event, the official MENA news agency reported.

The Pan-Arab Games are one of the most important regional multi-sport event held in the Arab world, with the first Games being held in 1953 in Alexandria, Egypt.

Due to political turmoil and instability in the region, the Games have failed to be held every four years as originally planned since 1965.

from

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-10/26/content_6949155.htm

Lahoud Invited to a Sports Event in Cairo

President Emile Lahoud on Thursday received an invitation from his Egyptian counterpart Husni Mubarak to visit Cairo just 13 days before his extended term in office expires. The state-run National News Agency (NNA) said Egypt's ambassador to Lebanon Ahmed Fouad Bidewi delivered Mubarak's invitation to Lahoud to take part in the opening of the 11th Arab games, scheduled for Nov. 11. Lahoud's extended term in office expires on Nov. 24, just one day before the Arab Games –in which Lebanon participates- conclude competitions in Egypt. The text of the invitation stated that Mubarak "looks forwards to President Lahoud's participation in this important pan-Arab gathering." The NNA report said Lahoud Thanked Mubarak for the invitation, but failed to disclose whether the Lebanese Head of state would actually leave for Cairo at such a critical time for the presidential race to elect the first head of state after withdrawal of Syria's troops from Lebanon. Lahoud's term was extended for three years by a controversial constitutional amendment in Sept. 2004, when the Syrian regime of President Bashar Assad was the sole power broker in Lebanon. The extension was a direct challenge to U.N. Security Council Resolution 1559 of Sept. 2004, which called for the election of a successor to Lahoud without foreign intervention and in line with the nation's constitution.

Beirut, 18 Oct 07, 18:17 from http://www.naharnet.com/domino/tn/NewsDesk.nsf/0/66165EAA46E58C3AC22573780059468D?OpenDocument

Iraq’s national football team invited to participate in Arab Round

Friday, October 12, 2007 10:03 GMT

The executive committee for the 11th Arab sports round called on Iraq’s national team, Asia Cup winner, to participate in the round held mid next month after Kuwaiti and Yemeni national teams failed to participate. It is to be mentioned that Football Egyptian Federation has called on Iraq’s national team to participate in the Arab round on the federation’s expenses in respect to Asia Cup winner. However, Iraq’s national and Olympic teams’ commitment to World Cup qualifications and the Olympic Games have cone in the way of their participation. from http://www.alsumaria.tv/en/Sports-News-Iraq/4-8794-Iraq%E2%80%99s-national-football-team-invited-to-participate-in-Arab-Round.html

United Nations of Palestine

By Chris Wang in Doha

Palestine's players donate their services and travel long distances for their team[Chris Wang] "It's not the winning but the taking part that counts" may be one of the oldest clichés in sport but for Palestine's footballers it could not be more appropriate. Palestine is one of 43 teams from Asia beginning the long road to the football World Cup in South Africa in three years time. Unlike most countries, the Palestinian football term have a number of hurdles to overcome before they can even begin their campaign to qualify for the tournament. Security and travel issues made it impossible for this month's first round match to be held in Gaza so Doha's Al Rayyan Stadium in Qatar became the "home" venue for their match against Singapore. Passport control There was an air of expectation as players, officials, and supporters close to the squad milled around the Palestine dressing room before the match. But there was also confusion as Fifa officials checked each of the Palestine players' passports for any irregularities. The 18-man squad for the match was made up of players from Palestine, Jordan, Syria, Kuwait, Chile and the USA, all of whom were born in Palestine or have Palestinian heritage. "The players have confidence and the love of their country" Majid Balawi, Palestinian team scout Even after scouring their diaspora for the highest quality players available, Palestine were still without some key members due to issues in Gaza, as Majid Balawi, a scout and recruiter for the national team, explains. "Three of our players from Gaza didn't show up with the team," Balawi, a Palestinian who lives in the USA, says. "Israel wouldn't allow them to go, and actually they were given no reason why. "The situation is made worse because we have lost a very important part of the team, our captain Saeb Jendeya, who is an important central defender. "It's all about what's going on in Palestine. It's the players who are suffering, the players who are paying the price, nobody else." Globetrotting With close to half of all Palestinians displaced in countries across the globe, Balawi spends a lot of his time tracking down talented footballers who are eligible to play for the national team. "We've been working hard for the past six months," Balawi told Al Jazeera. "We have players who speak Spanish, Arabic and English, but we have to put a team together and it's hard right now with the situation in Palestine. "The players have confidence and the love of their country. They are doing it for free, they don't get any money. They want to put a smile on Palestinian faces, and win for the kids at least." Palestine's Mohamad Al Chiri tries to find a way out [Chris Wang] When asked about how the team had prepared for the first of a possible 18 matches on their World Cup qualifying campaign, Balawi explains it had been difficult to get the squad assembled. "We had two players who just arrived late last night after a long flight from Chile to Frankfurt, and then on to Doha," he says. "They went straight to sleep and they're going to play the game today and then leave early in the morning." Not ideal preparation, but the team are proud that they are having a go, and that in doing so they are further promoting Palestine in one of the few areas it is granted full recognition. Lack of preparation Qualification for South Africa would promote that recognition massively but even the players realise that is an almost impossible dream. Ranked 157th in the world, they begin sharply enough against a team ranked 19 places higher, spurred on by adrenaline and the pride of pulling on the green jersey. But the well-drilled and better prepared Singaporeans soon found their rhythm and after leading 1-0 at half time, the Lions went on to record an easy 4-0 victory. Nelson Dekmak, Palestine's Chilean manager, highlighted his team's lack of preparation as the reason for the first-leg failure. The issue of communication problems in the Palestinian team was further emphasised when the South American's words were translated from Spanish to Arabic, and then in to English. "As soon as it came up it was no option, it's in my blood" Omar Jarun, Palestinian footballer "This result we weren't really expecting at all. We started well, our biggest problem was the physical fitness. We did not have enough time to get fit for the game," Dekmak said. Dekmak, who was born and raised in Chile but is of Palestinian decent, is donating his time to coach the Palestine national team. "He coached the Chilean national under-21 side and he took the time and volunteered to coach the Palestine team for these two games for free because the Palestine Football Association couldn't afford to pay for a coach," Balawi says. 'In the blood' Omar Jarun, a relatively new face in the team, was playing football for the Atlanta Silverbacks in the US when he was approached by Balawi with a view to play for Palestine. "My dad is Palestinian, and Majid contacted me and asked me if I would like to play for the national team," he says. "As soon as it came up it was no option, it's in my blood. I thought it would definitely be a good choice to come to the team, and I'm glad I got the opportunity." The powerful central defender, who began his career as a forward, tried his best to marshal the Palestine players from the back, but there was much to overcome. "Fitness was a problem, not creating anything going forward was a problem, lack of communication was another problem. There are a lot of things we need to work on," Jarun said. "I was speaking in English, and they weren't understanding what I was saying. The others need to be speaking in their language and lifting each other up." But the 24-year-old, who hopes to move a new club, possibly in the Gulf region, was impressive in his first outing for Palestine and could be a regular fixture in a squad that struggles for continuity. With less than a month to prepare, and with a long trip to Singapore at the end of October, Jarun and his team have a tough task ahead of them, not only in qualifying for the 2010 World Cup, but in building their country's football future. from http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/83369E8D-2B44-4DD5-99EA-BC59B1266579.htm