Lisbon-Dakar Rally canceled over security concerns

[Ronin]

Eurosport New story (http://eurosport.yahoo.com/04012008/58/dakar-2008-dakar-cancelled-security.html)

So 4 French citizens get killed in Mauritania 2 weeks ago....intense political pressure between France and Mauritania so the rally get´s canceled.....somehow I get the feeling that if the tourists that got killed had been of another nationality the rally would still be going ahead.

The situation in Mauritania is by most reports no worse than it was in previous years...and threats against the rally have become common place over the years.

[edyzmedieval]

To be honest with you, I think they found out that this time the stake was too high. They wanted to take the risk to get some more cash in, but this time they said: "Too much this time. They actually might kill some guy."

Too bad anyhow, Dakar is a really interesting piece of motorsport. Legendary too.

[mrdun]

Something must happen for something else to happen. Obviously if nothing happened in Mauritania then nothing like cancelling the rally would need have been done.

[Scurvy]

very sad it's been canceled, but sensible :juggle2:

[Ronin]

yeah...sensible....:inquisitive:

you guys don´t seem to understand the precedent that has just been opened here...


I wonder what´s gonna happen when the Olympics or the next football championship comes around...:idea2: :wall:

[Fragony]

Pure politics, I do not know what the frenchies want from Mauritania but this isn't reasonable. Few frenchies got murdered so what they can't park their car in some parts of their own capital. Might be moving to China, fishy. It's an economic boycot.

[Tribesman]

It's an economic boycot.
Well bugger me sideways , i agree with frag .
And all previous changes to routes in this race (apart really from Algeria) have been over money not safety .

[Geoffrey S]

I fail to see how the situation in Mauritania changed so drastically after the murder of four Frenchmen. Terrible, certainly, but Mauritania didn't suddenly become any more or less safe than it was before; certainly if you consider the promised large-scale security by the Mauritanian armed forces. Thus I must agree with both Fragony and Tribesman that the only real reasons to be found here are political.

[KukriKhan]

So: who 'wins' in the cancellation of this event?