IRAQ: No Phelps but plenty of swimmers in Sadr City
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Michael Phelps may be a star in much of the world, with 8 gold medals from the Beijing Olympics hanging around his neck, but he’s got a long ways to go before the swimmers of Baghdad’s Sadr City district get familiar with his name.
‘The Chinese guy!’ one youngster said as he waited with scores of other boys and young men to plunge into the turquoise water of a public pool that opened amid much fanfare Saturday. ‘Iraqis are into soccer,’ one man said, explaining the crowd’s unfamiliarity with the world’s most famous swimmer.
Swimming pools aren’t a luxury most Iraqis can enjoy, especially those living in poor and working-class districts like Sadr City, which until three months ago was a no-go area for just about anyone except U.S. and Iraqi military forces and the Shiite militiamen battling them for turf. Things have been quiet since May.
Now, the military says the focus in this area has turned to rebuilding the shattered district, which is the stronghold of anti-U.S. cleric Muqtada Sadr, and that included reopening the al-Mithaq swimming pool. They couldn’t have chosen a better day: the temperature was about 110. For the troops in battlegear watching over the event, and for anyone milling about on the concrete tiles surrounding the water, it felt much hotter.
The heat didn’t affect the ceremony surrounding the pool’s inauguration, which Iraqi Army Lt. Col. Yahya Rasoul Abdullah said was neglected for years. Abdullah hopes the pool complex eventually will become a spot for wedding parties and other celebratory events.
Tribal sheiks, dignitaries from the municipal council and the Ministry of Sports and Culture, and scores of heavily armed U.S. and Iraqi troops listened as things kicked off with a reading from the Koran. Speeches followed. Military snipers manned rooftops of the buildings surrounding the pool complex, which includes a small children’s pool in addition to the larger one.
Waiting to test the waters were dozens of children, including several from a Sadr City shelter for homeless children who compete in local diving competitions.
One thing missing from the mix was any sign of a girl in the pool. Abdullah pointed out that cultural sensitivities here make it impossible for females to enjoy the facility. ‘Over time, perhaps we’ll figure out a way to fix that,’ he said as the young swimmers raced for trophies and medals.
Al-Mithaq is the latest of several city pools refurbished in recent months in Baghdad, where violence has reached its lowest level in months. The pools haven’t been without their problems. Shortly after one was opened in the New Baghdad neighborhood, it had to be shut because a teen-age boy had drowned. The tragedy sparked more than just grief: there was a tribal feud between the victim’s family and the families of those managing the pool, and three lifeguards and the pool manager were arrested.
The Ministry of Sports and Culture has to approve lifeguard hirings, and that’s one thing that a ministry official, Abdul Zaharis, lamented he had not had time to do yet for the Sadr City pool. Zaharis said he’d been busy at a Boy Scout event and would have preferred to delay the pool opening until he’d had more time to organize things like the pool staff.
For now, a private contractor is providing pool guards and other staff.
Zaharis, appearing remarkably cool in a tan suit despite the sizzling heat, looked slightly aghast when asked why he -- a swimmer -- didn’t volunteer for lifeguard duty himself. Then, realizing it was a joke, he laughed and said he was working on compiling a list of potential employees.
‘Hopefully everything will be okay,’ he said.
--Tina Susman and Said Rifai in Baghdad
Video by Said Rifai
