The perils of sporting in Chad

Posted By Elizabeth Dickinson Thursday, May 7, 2009 - 3:11 PM Share

News today that Ireland has banned its troops in Chad from playing soccer hits particularly close for me. You see, I was reporting from Chad about a year ago -- and by coincidence, I stayed in the same hotel as the initial forces for the EU peacekeeping force now deployed there. So I have to say that I agree with Irish Defence Minister Willie O’Dea:

The reality in Chad is that the ground is extremely hard. Some of the sports are played out on open ground and when people fall, it tends to have a much greater impact on their bodies than falling in a field in Ireland, where the ground is not nearly as hard"

All true. My running took a serious hit during my stay in N'Djamena (though I had always attributed this more to the fact that a rebel incursion had shut down the city streets. Not really ideal conditions.)

Come to think of it, Chad is a pretty dangerous place for sports. Alas, the dirt in the country is hard. Minister O'Dea could also have cited concerns about dust -- since you would have to shower 5 times a day not to end up covered in silt. Not good for the health of ones eyes. The hotel pool by which many of the EU soldiers reclined was a breeding ground for mosquitoes (read: malaria).

Of course, the good news it that less soccer, pool, running, and general revelry might leave more time for the business of peacekeeping. But watch out -- those rebels are hardly better for one's constitution.

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