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Al-Ahram Weekly 27 Jan. - 2 Feb. 2000 Issue No. 466 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 27 Jan. - 2 Feb. 2000 Issue No. 466
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Features Profile Travel Living Sports People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Raising a dust storm of protest
By Mahmoud Bakr
Frenchmen Jean-Louis Schlesser and Richard Sainct were the first to reach the finish line -- at the Giza Pyramids -- to win the Paris-Dakar-Cairo rally. However, the race, the world's longest and, with 402 participants, the biggest, ended with a bigger bang than expected.
Two days before the participants reached the final, Egyptian organisers and the Environment Ministry clashed over the Wadi Al-Rayan Preserve in Fayoum. Nadia Makram Ebeid, the minister of environment, had rejected the idea of either the race vehicles entering the preserve or even setting up a camp for the night at the site. The race course was rerouted but a camp was erected, littering and soiling the preserve.
Ebeid visited the preserve on the eve of the final day to see the damage. Working on the basis of Law 102 of 1983 which protects natural preserves, she then filed a complaint to the attorney-general against the race organisers. "We are not against sports or tourism but we must protect our preserves," Ebeid said in the petition. "These were the instructions of President Mubarak. The organisers did not respect the environment," Ebeid said.
According to Ibrahim Abdel-Gelil, executive chairman of the Environment Authority, the organisers did not coordinate with the body until 13 January. "They asked to hold the camp at that location and we refused. We sent messages to that effect to the Fayoum governorate, the security chief, tourism office and the organisers. We suggested another site, at the falls, but they did not accept it."
Rally organiser Ramy Siag said the route was approved by all 13 concerned authorities which, he added, were all contacted, including the Environmental Authority which he said failed to send any representative to attend any of their meetings. "The camp has been held in the same place for the past eight years, so why the disapproval now," Siag wondered out loud. He added that the organisers were not against the environment or its protection "Indeed, we support it, but this should be done through clear coordination between the bodies. It was difficult to cancel all the preparations five days before the camp was set up," Siag said.
Far from the protests and denunciations, of which the racers were probably unaware, more than 30 countries took part in the rally. From the world over, racers came on 202 motor bikes, 139 cars and 61 trucks. Competitors began reaching the finish line at 11.00am on Sunday and were received and congratulated by Minister of Tourism Mamdouh El-Beltagui, Giza Governor Mahmoud Abul-Leil, ambassadors and over 7,000 tourists who made the journey to Egypt especially to witness the final stage.
photo: Khaled El-Fiqi
Schlesser, driving a buggy, again beat the powerful Mitsubishis, who failed to make it to second place. The French champion, a former Formula One driver, took over the lead from Mitsubishi's Kenjiro Shinozuka of Japan while in Libya.
Fellow Frenchman Stephane Peterhansel, a six-time motorcyle winner, took an unexpected second place, some 12 minutes behind Schlesser, in a Mega Desert. Compatriot Jean-Pierre Fontenay was third in the first Mitsubishi, 27 minutes behind the winner. In the motorcycle section, BMW finished in the first four places thanks to defending champion Sainct, Spaniard Oscar Gallardo, American Jim Lewis and Frenchman Jean Brucy. KTM, who had more than 70 machines at the start, settled with German Juergen Mayer's fifth place finish.
The race was suspended for five days after the French and American governments warned organisers of possible terrorist attacks from Algerian fundamentalist groups. Four stages and a rest day were scrapped as cars, motorcycles and equipment were airlifted from Niamey in Niger to Libya.
Portuguese driver Carlos Sousa and co-driver Joao Manuel Luz were involved in a crash during the 13th stage in the Libyan desert and were flown to Paris in serious condition.
Three Mitsubishis and a Nissan crashed when they hit a sand dune at speed and rolled over. Dominique Serieys, co-driver for the 1997 rally winner Shinozuka in one of the Mitsubishis, was among those injured.
