Monday, July 28, 2008

Back in business..

Hi, all!
Long time no see, eh? I'm sorry for being such a lazy ass but I will justify my long absence to the same old excuse: "exams and study". Infact, not only the study took me so long to stay outta sight. I really lost the enthusiasm of blogging (what a shame!) that's because I didn't find any interesting subject or issue to talk about... Anyway, I have to say that I'm OK. I have finished the exams and I'm supposed to enjoy the long summer holiday. I have passed all the the exmas of the 2nd course, however, I wasn't such lucky in the 1st course. I have one item to prepare for the 2nd round in September inorder to be a senior. :)
Since I have some free time, I decided to take advantage of it by going to gym. I intend to gain some weight and it seems I'm on the right path as my weight increased by 4 pounds (about 1.8 kg). I think I will renew my subscription another month. Hehehe, don't think that I'm planning to be the new gigantic Mr. Olympia like Arnie Schwarzenegger or Dorian Yates. Also one of the up-dates to mention is that I'm growing a beard. And here, I wanna assure you that I'm not turning into a fanatical bastard. ;) With new popped up muscles and a stylish beard I'm designing a different new look.
Anyway, I wanted to talk about this...
I was browsing my note-book couple of days ago, when I found this note:"August 21st 2004, Iraq has done it. the Olympic soccer champions have made it to the semi-finals". I remember I wrote this note just after Iraq's winning over Austuralia in the quarter final of the summer Olympic games in Athens 2004. Four years have passed since that day. Unfortunately, our olympic soccer team wasn't lucky this time as they failed to pass the preliminary stage of the asian zone. The other olympic teams (such as Basketball, Handball, vollyball... etc.) weren't luckier than the football team. Their poor results didn't prompt them to play in next Olympic Beijing Summer Games. Our teams failure is an expected result if we consider many effects:
a. The lack (absence) of the governmental support to the whole sport system in Iraq. The sportal foundations and establishments are left in wrecks.
b. The weak perfomrance of the Iraqi Olympic committee and its various federations.
c. Excluding soccer, other sports in Iraq are suffering from the insufficient interest and support by the public and/or the media.
That's why the Iraqi delegation was supposed to include only 7 athletes to participate in the olympiad in less than two weeks from now. However, the Iraqi public was shocked to know that Iraqi athletes have been banned from participating in the Beijing Summer Games by the International Olympic Committee because the government seized control of the country's olympic committee. It happend after Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Malinki 's government disbanded olympic committee and other national sports federations. Iraq's former Olympic committee was dismissed last month by government officials, who said the group was corrupt and not functioning properly. The Iraqi government then turned control over to its Minister of Sport. The transition was a violation of the Olympic charter, which requires national committees to be elected by sports federations in each country. Iraq's previous Olympic committee had been elected in 2004. The IOC ban would affect seven Iraqi athletes: two rowers, two sprinters, one archer, one weightlifter and one competitor in judo.
As far as I'm concerned, it's painful not to witness the flag of my country fluttering in such global carnival. I think it's a great loss espically for those seven of athletes after 4 years of challenge, insistence and hard training who were finally going to represent their country, they have to be terribly disappointed.