Tag: sport

Saudi Arabia Shakes off COVID-19 Curfew

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After months of strict COVID-19 curbs, there is finally light at the end of the tunnel for residents of Saudi Arabia. As promised on May 26, the nationwide coronavirus curfew was lifted at 6 a.m. on Sunday, June 21, and the country’s commerce and sporting venues are reopening. 

It appears that, even though Saudi Arabia is looking towards a “new normal,” some restrictions will remain in place for the foreseeable future. Mandatory face masks and social distancing will remain, as will the ban on international travel and the Umrah pilgrimage until further notice.  

As of Sunday, commercial and economic activity will be allowed to restart, “provided utmost caution and protection are taken, as well as observance of full abidance by the precautionary measures and preventive procedures,” an official statement carried by state news outlet the Saudi Press Agency said on June 20. At present, gatherings cannot exceed 50 people, which may limit some workplaces and activities.  

On Saturday, in another piece of good news for Saudi Arabia’s business sector and workers, the Ministry of Human Resources and  Social Development said that workplaces can increase attendance to 75% starting June 29. In the meantime, the public sector is encouraged to continue to operate on a flexible timetable and facilitate “teleworking” for remote workers.     

Sports lovers across the country also rejoiced on Saturday when the Ministry of Sports announced Saudi Arabia’s sports centers and halls can reopen from June 21. Sports facilities must observe a number of COVID-19 control measures including equipment sterilization, providing hand sanitizer, enforcing social distancing, and encouraging patrons to bring and use their own equipment where possible. 

Handshakes and physical contact between athletes also remain off-limits under the Ministry of Sports guide. Contact sports like taekwondo and karate will have to wait a little longer before they can recommence tournaments, while spectators and audiences remain banned from all sporting events. 

As restrictions ease further, the Ministry of Interior reiterated its calls for all residents to download the country’s tracking and COVID-19 advice application. The new freedoms also came with a reminder that any workplace or individual violating precautionary measures will be prosecuted accordingly. 

On Saturday, the Ministry of Health reported 740 new infections, taking Saudi Arabia’s total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases to 154,233, including 1,230 fatalities and 98,917 recoveries. 

Read also: Saudi Arabia to Expand Library Network

Maryam Shojaei Awarded for Efforts Supporting Iran’s Female Soccer Fans

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Iran has banned women from attending live soccer matches since the 1979 Revolution, but six years ago Maryam Shojaei started fighting to change that. She has now been awarded the Stuart Scott ENSPIRE Award for her efforts. The award is named in honor of former ESPN commentator Stuart Scott, and celebrates people that have taken risks and used an innovative approach to helping the disadvantaged through the power of sports — qualities that Shojaei embodies.  

For the last 40 years the conservative Islamic regime in Iran has banned women, 50% of the population, from attending men’s football games to protect them from “profane language” and “half-naked men.” Their love for the game has never wavered and Shojaei has fought both at home and internationally for change. 

“It became clear after a while that there wouldn’t be any change within Iran. And I took my activism abroad — I went to matches all over the world, held banners, got the attention of the media and the federation. I recognized it had to be a global movement,” she told ESPN on June 18. 

“Slowly, when they realized I am not going anywhere, the focus became about how to change this unwritten rule in Iran.”

Anonymously at first in 2014, then vocally, Maryam Shojaei mounted a campaign after travelling to Canada to watch the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2015. What started off on social media turned into a full blown crusade including a #NoBan4Women petition, holding protest banners at the FIFA World Cup in Russia, and putting sustained pressure on FIFA to let women watch internationals in Iran.

Long, Hard Fight for Change 

The road was not easy, and even Shojaei’s friends questioned if her fight was worth it, pointing out that violence and bad behavior are part-and-parcel of football culture in Iran. Others questioned the importance female participation at football matches, when Iranian women face a raft of gender-based discrimination and challenges. 

“They say that even if the stadium is open for women today, they won’t take their wives and mothers there because they know what kind of atmosphere exists there.” 

“My response to that always is, ‘This can happen on the streets, this can happen everywhere,’ and that the atmosphere is that way because it’s a one-gender environment,” said Shojaei who is also the sister of Iran’s national captain, Masoud Shojaei.

Incremental Success

She eventually achieved a victory in October 2019 when Iranian women, for the first time in 41 years were allowed to attend the FIFA World Cup qualifier between Iran and Cambodia in Tehran. It was a huge success, with the initial 3,500 ticket release selling out. Even with another 1,000 tickets sold, despite finally getting a foot in the door, women still only made up around 5% of the crowd at that match.

“These changes — toward the stadium ban it was a big step, but toward equality it is a small step. It wasn’t the biggest problem for Iranian women. We have other problems that need to be solved. But still, it was a big step because that was the first victory. I was proud of myself and so many Iranian women who fought the stadium ban.”

FIFA President Gianni Infantino says the sport’s governing body is still pushing Iran to open up domestic football matches, not just internationals, to female soccer fanatics. “There can be no stopping or turning back now,” the peak body said in October 2019.

“FIFA now looks more than ever towards a future when ALL girls and women wishing to attend football matches in Iran will be free to do so, and in a safe environment.

Shojaei says her activism was sparked by a terrifying incident from her childhood, during the Iran-Iraq war.  

“I was 4 when the war between Iran and Iraq [1980-88] started. On the first day of the war, our home was destroyed. None of us were home. Otherwise, all of us would be dead. That’s probably why I speak out when I see something unfair — like with the violation of basic women’s rights and peace.”

It seems that things are in fact looking up and change is coming from a surprising source within Iran itself — the men.

“About 10 months ago, an Iranian stadium was packed — of course all with men. I was very moved by what they said in [Azeri],” Shojaei said. “One half of the stadium said, ‘We are missing our Iranian women,’ and the other half responded by saying, ‘It’s their right.’ I was so moved.” 

“For Iranian men and for other countries where women are treated as second-class citizens, the men could take advantage of the privileges they have. But in this case, they were complaining about inequality and underscoring women’s rights, which was very precious to me. 

“When the oppressors take a stand for the oppressed, it’s more powerful.”

Read also: Iranian Prison Guards Allegedly Beat, Drugged Australian Academic

 

 

Qatar Under Fire as 2022 FIFA World Cup Workers Await Payment

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Workers building the Al Bayt Stadium went without pay for seven months as their employer, Qatar Meta Coats (QMC), failed to compensate them. Qatar’s World Cup organizing body has banned QMC from obtaining further contracts for world cup projects and required the company to pay three months of salaries owed. 

Despite the progress many workers are still owed wages. Many were unable to renew their work permits after the company was sold and new management came in to resolve the payments issue. 

The Pakistani government has raised concerns with the Qatari Ministry of Labor over the mistreatment and non-payment of approximately 80,000 Pakistani workers contributing to the effort to build stadiums, roads, and accommodation. In addition to individual workers, Pakistani company Descon claims that Qatari authorities failed to pay them for their services, a concern which Pakistani officials have also raised. 

Amnesty International has long sought to highlight the plight of migrant workers in Qatar running a campaign entitled “Qatar World Cup of Shame.” On the issue of non-payment of wages, Amnesty’s Head of Economic and Social Justice, Steven Cockburn, said, “This case is the latest damning illustration of how easy it still is to exploit workers in Qatar.” 

Amnesty has also questioned why, if Qatar knew about non-payment issues from July, 2019, as the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy has indicated, the government allowed the employer to continue to exploit workers for months.

Pakistani workers have said they lost their jobs after reporting non-payment to Qatari authorities, creating fear among workers to speak out and underlining the inadequacies in Qatar’s complaints processes for migrant workers. 

Despite the well documented abuse of migrant workers, FIFA refuses to take responsibility, disputing claims that ongoing mistreatment of workers is indicative of the organization’s disregard for human rights. 

A controversial choice

The selection of Qatar to host the 2022 cup was a controversial choice given the lack of infrastructure and extreme heat. The competition normally takes place during the summer period. Investigations into FIFA, launched by the United States, later revealed that Qatar won the bid as a result of extensive bribes given to FIFA officials. 

As detailed by Arabia Policy in April, former FIFA President Sepp Blatter suggested that the United States could end up hosting the 2022 cup instead of Qatar. Whilst a change of host country is unlikely to occur, Blatter’s suggestion highlights the ongoing trepidation about Qatar’s ability to host the cup. 

The ongoing exploitation of migrant workers in Qatar is a cause for international concern and is a further stain on the Gulf nation’s World Cup, prior to the event kicking-off in over two years’ time. 

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