Clarification on Race report

["Maryanne Stroud Gabbani" <maryanne@ratbusters.net>]

There are a couple of things that I want to make very clear. One is that the
UAE is made up of a group of countries and that they should not all be
lumped in one basket. Our problem has been with Dubai. The other thing is
that the kind of foolishness that has been called an endurance race here in
the last few days can only take place with the willing complicity of
individuals or organisations in the host country. Here Dubai has been aided
by Al Ahram newspaper and magazine, which have given absolutely false
reports of what happened, from the number of spectators ("Ten thousand"???
Give me a break...maybe a couple of hundred) to the number of riders (200
reported in the English language paper when there might have been 75). Our
local federation was not ready to handle the situation, being even newer to
the sport than the riders. So please let there be no vague talk of "Arab
money" or whatever. The problem is very specific: conflict of interest and a
willingness by press and others to do and/or say anything for money. This
can happen anywhere with anyone.

Maryanne Stroud Gabbani
Cairo, Egypt
maryanne@ratbusters.net
www.ratbusters.net