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stryker

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stryker last won the day on December 7 2024

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About stryker

  • Birthday 09/13/1978

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  1. Correct me if I'm wrong but wasn't Golden Horn the proposed rowing venue in the 2020 bid? Even if it wasn't I have to agree this would be an iconic venue, would rival any of the ones Paris had IMO
  2. That I was aware of. Not really a new technology either (Zayed Stadium in the UAE uses it) They still couldn't cool the players and the pitch though despite the Qataris pledge they could and hold it in the summer
  3. It's not the money that's the problem. It's whether or not these designs are even architecturally feasible. You should look up some of MBS's grand plans for Neom like having the city look like something out of Blade Runner to an artificial moon that would allow special sand to glow in the dark so people could swim on the beaches at night. Also the Prince Faisal bin Fahad Sports Stadium will likely have a different layout as it's also the athletics stadium for the Asian Games. The athletics track at the King Fahd Stadium is being removed. Air conditioned stadiums in Qatar? Are you serious? If they did have that technology they would never have had to move the tournament to the winter months in the first place. I won't even discuss the Olympics as there's been countless reasons pointing against a Saudi bid. Most of it centers on control. FIFA doesn't mind ceding control. The IOC does. In response regarding the alcohol issue, we all knew this was coming but it is not the only drastic difference that fans will have to adjust to in the ultra conservative kingdom. Among the others 1. Gender segregation at matches. If you are traveling with your boyfriend or girlfriend you will not be allowed to sit in the same section together. 2. Only married couples can share hotel rooms. All hotels in the Kingdom check for this. Along with that all hotels have strict enforcement of gender segregation for amenities including gyms, pools, and spas. Often they post times for women only, families only, and men only. 3. Everything closes for prayers five times a day. No they won't stop matches but they will close concessions, fan zones, and souvenir shops. 4. More conservative dress codes. Abayas are no longer mandatory but women will be expected to cover their arms and legs fully. Men also cannot wear shorts in public and enter place of business.
  4. Who cares what Dubi's title is or how many years he's been with the IOC? Its irrelevant because he's not competent. To quote billionaire Mark Cuban "I wouldn't hire him to manage a Dairy Queen."
  5. If the events are held back-to-back it won't be a problem. More likely if there's overlap it's a problem. Dubi as Executive Director for the IOC for 10 years? Donald Trump ran his own businesses for more than 20 years. Length of time in a position does not equate to competence. Dubi was also the IOC rep who burned the bridges with Oslo after they bailed on a sure-fire hosting for 2022. He's incompetent especially when he has a microphone in front of him I'm sure you can Google this. Budweiser is one who will have a concern though their concern is more about how they won't get to sell their product (the alcoholic version anyway) or promote their product within KSA. That's an easy fix though. FIFA (or the Saudis) can cut them a check the way FIFA did when Qatar pulled a reversal on booze last minute in 2022. I wouldn't read too much into this. The stadiums are renderings at this point. You are 100% correct that many of them especially the Neom one look unrealistic. This is M.O. of MBS though. Aim for the sky and beyond despite what realism says. Try looking some of his visions regarding Neom. He told one contractor he wanted the city to look like the one in Blade Runner. Or look up how they have dramatically reduced the Line. I'm sure once the architects step in, the stadiums, while grandiose, won't resemble the renderings too much. As for the venues themselves, it will be some time before FIFA and the organizing committee finalize the list. When that's done, I fully expect Abha to be removed as host city due to its close proximity to Yemen and the fact that it is a frequent target for Houthi missile attacks (U.S. diplomatic personnel and their families are even prohibited from visiting the city) means that one will be scrapped from the list. FIFA does not want a Houthi cruise missile landing in the middle of a football match killing hundreds of people.
  6. The sponsors will have a problem. Econ 101. There's only so much sponsorship money that goes around. Same with viewership. And the source is dubious with Dubi (pardon the pun). Every time that guy speaks it seems like he's incompetent.
  7. They did. FIFA ceded control of the tournament to the Saudis. They will call the shots. Infantino and the rest of FIFA will be expected to nod and keep quiet. If they don't all the Saudis have to do is play the Islamophobia card the way Qatar did and yes, some Euros and dollars do help. The biggest obstacle IMO isnt scheduling but a potential Israel qualification in an expanded field but I'm sure there's already backroom deals to make sure Israel does not qualify. If they get close, all FIFA has to do is appoint an officiating crew from countries hostile to Israel to rig the outcome of key qualifiers.
  8. Both the 2026 and 2030 WCs run one month and eight days. If the 2034 WC starts after January 1st they are looking at the final on February 8th or 9th with the OCs for Salt Lake on February 11th. That's likely cutting it too close. So maybe we see the tournament actually start the last week of December 2033? It would overlap with Christmas holidays but that's not recognized in the kingdom. The only other window I see is starting the WC the week after the Asian Games end in December 2034 and running most of the tournament into January 2035. Another issue that will need addressing as far as scheduling goes is Friday matches. As this is the holy day in the birthplace of Islam it's highly unlikely the Saudis will accept any WC matches being played on a Friday before the evening. Even the Saudi Pro League doesn't typically hold Friday matches until 6 or 7pm local time.
  9. Will likely be held in January 2034. December is out because Ramadan will be then and it's impossible for sporting events to be held during that time. February is out because of the WOGs. No real option except for January 2034. Questions already being raised about gender segregation at stadiums and the booze issue
  10. If yesterday's government collapse pushes France into a financial crisis that precipitates a full blown euro zone crisis then I don't see how France would have the money to fund a WOGs. WSJ ran an article a couple days ago called "Is France Now Greece on the Seine?"
  11. Actually I could see this happening with the planned Olympic Stadium next to the OV.
  12. Beijing 2022 is a good example. After the postponed Tokyo Olympics almost immediately there were questions and legitimate oncerns about what Beijing would look like given China's draconian zero covid policies. JAS Jr. (Maybe someone else I cannot recall) said that Tokyo's covid measures were sufficient for the upcoming WOGs and immediately Beijing responded that what was acceptable in Tokyo would not be acceptable in Beijing. And indeed the measures were much stricter. The IOC would've liked to have seen Beijing adopt Tokyo's measures but that was never going to happen. But the concession the IOC did get that was the most important in that there were concerns all Olympic athletes would have to complete the then mandatory 3 week quarantine in the OV. China relaxed this to allow vaccinated athletes to enter the OV as part of a closed loop system but non-vaccinated athletes would have to complete the 3 week quarantine. Even then many athletes said the restrictions were practically prison like. So the IOC can exert influence but it is limited especially when the Games are awarded to a country with a totalitarian government.
  13. So essentially they said no to a country-wide bid if there were more than five clusters. For what it's worth, I think the IOC really missed an opportunity when they insisted on athlete villages rather than the Swiss proposal of using hotels. But if we are talking clusters here, then what would a possible South Africa country-wide bid look like? I'd say Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg, and Pretoria which would create huge logistical problems as far as city-to-city transport. There would have to be a massive investment in a comprehensive high speed rail network (similar to what Turkey is doing now) that would connect each city. To date, the closest thing is a commuter rail between Johannesburg and Pretoria. In the early 2010s there was talk of a high-speed rail linking Johannesburg to Durban but it never materialized. This is of course in addition to the sports venues with questionable legacies that would need to be built. South Africa lacks a single arena of more than 10,000 (ICC in Durban and Sunbet Arena in Pretoria). This does not even consider the likes of an aquatic center or slalom canoe course.
  14. I only mentioned Ataturk Airport as a possible site for an OV because of Istanbul's space issues. Where would the OV go? Now, it looks like that's no longer an option as there are plans to turn most of the old airport into green space. https://www.cctinvestments.com/ataturk-airport-from-a-global-airport-to-a-beach-park/
  15. Yes the IOC made this clear when Switzerland floated the idea of a country-wide bid for 2034. Essentially they are open to regional bids (2038) but not country-wide bids. Now having said that, we know the IOC likes to change the rules on a whim as they see fit so if a country-wide bid is the only way an African country even has a remote chance of hosting a SOGs, then I would bet the IOC would gladly make an exception. Unfortunately, even with a country-wide bid, South lacks the infrastructure and the money needed to host so I think it's a moot point.
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