WRAPUP 1 – Soccer – Legislators threat to U.S. World Cup bid as tax funding ruled out

531 words
1 December 2010
03:32
LBA
English

THE United States’ bid to host the 2022 World Cup was cast in doubt yesterday when a resolution passed the House of Representatives prohibiting tax payers money being used to underpin the tournament.

The resolution ruled that no funds should go to “international sporting events”, including the 2022 World Cup, until physical education programmes for children in public schools was fully funded.

The vote was passed after members were told that it otherwise “would be impossible to significantly reduce the alarming rise in the number of overweight and obese Americans.” Its passage was hailed as a key step in realizing the goals of First Lady Michelle Obama’s vision for reducing childhood obesity.

The U.S. is one of five countries bidding to host the 2022 soccer tournament. Former President Bill Clinton is leading its delegation to Zurich, where the decision will be made on who will host the 2022 Cup on Thursday.

FIFA has already raised concern about the lack of government guarantees underpinning the U.S. bid, warning in its technical report assessing the bid’s credibility that it could be a risk.

The passage of the resolution was hailed by anti-childhood obesity campaigners. “It is time that we prioritize own children’s health over international sporting events like the World Cup which cost taxpayers millions of dollars, benefit few, and divert scarce funding from where it should be spent – on critical health and education priorities,” said Dr. E. Faye Williams of the Healthy Kids Coalition.

“This legislation will bring awareness to the problem of childhood obesity and the need for physical education programs in public school.”

The resolution called on Congress to fully fund K-12 physical education in public schools rather than providing federal funding from a prospective 2022 FIFA World Cup and other costly global sporting events.

It resolved that: “Until K-12 physical education is fully funded, no taxpayer money should be spent in the pursuit of hosting international sports events including the Olympics or the World Cup.” If the U.S. were to be awarded the hosting rights for the World Cup, supporters said, economic studies from past World Cup tournaments suggest that taxpayers would be on the hook for hundreds of millions of dollars.

At present an estimated 20% of children in the United States are considered overweight or obese and it is estimated that by 2015 75% of adults could be overweight and 41% obese. Only 3.8% of elementary schools, 7.9% of middle schools and 2.1% of high schools provide daily physical education or its equivalent and 22% of public schools do not require students to take any physical education at all.

The resolution is the latest setback in the United States’ attempt to secure the 2022 tournament. The U.S. Soccer Federation is already being sued for $US50 million by ChampionsWorld, a former promoter of professional games in the States.

The suit could wipe out the federation’s asset base, compromising its ability to host the 2022 Cup. The USSF tried to have the lawsuit dismissed, arguing U.S. legislation on sport, and internal decisions by FIFA, had given it the right to impose the fees on promoters, but a judge in Chicago this week said the case should go ahead.

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