The Times - Article
Future of Dakar Rally now in doubt
Sapa-AP in Paris Published:Jan 06, 2008
Danger and the Dakar Rally have been synonymous. Dozens have died racing across some of the world’s most inhospitable terrain . But the epic race has been cancelled because the threat of an al-Qaeda-linked attack pushed the element of risk to “ unacceptable levels”.
The 550 competitors were to have embarked yesterday from Lisbon, Portugal, on the 16-day, 9270km trek through remote and hostile dunes and scrub to Dakar in Senegal, west Africa.
It is the first time that the 30- year-old rally has been called off. The cancellation of such a world-renowned sports event is unprecedented.
“Smaller cultural events have been cancelled , but this hasn’t happened with such a major international event,” said Victor Anderes, vice-president of a New York firm that provides security for high-profile events.
“The threat is significant,” Anderes said. “It would be almost impossible to secure the entire course.”
Organisers cited warnings from the French government after the slaying of a family of French tourists in Mauritania — where eight of the competition’s 15 stages were to be held — and “threats launched directly against the race ”.
Your comments:
Gee just when I have heard WAYYY too many comments about Americans "living in fear" from attacks and the tired missplaced comparisons of Muslim fantaics with American Christian fundamemtalists, al Qaeda proves they must be eliminated as they simply cant co-exist with the rest of the modern world. Maybe if the US gets out of Iraq they will like us? Maybe if we learn how to beat our wives correctly they will like us? It can be spun any way one wants to but the bottom line is that these people are 6th century neandrathal and since they believe they are doing good in the eyes of their god and they will get some more virgins in "heaven" (what happens when they run out of virgins?) they ncan note be negotiated with and therefore exterminated.