I’m tired. My sister just left after her week-long visit which had us traipsing all over Seoul and visiting Jeju Island, Korea’s version of Hawaii (thus why there were so few posts last week). But running all over is just part of my exhaustion.
Before starting our first full day in Jeju, I decided to take advantage of the hotel’s gym and get in my first real workout of the trip. Arriving to the small workout area, I walked in to see three men all clad in kelly green shorts and jerseys look up at me. It was two of Iraq’s national football/soccer players and one of their coaches. I wasn’t too surprised…I’d seen signs throughout the hotel directing them where to eat and players and coaches waiting in the lobby for their buses. They were there to play Korea’s team (who was also staying at our hotel) in a “friendly” exhibition match at the nearby stadium that had been used for the 2002 World Cup.
Although I’d planned on just doing a run on the treadmill, I decided not to once I realized the Iraqi player would be running right next to me and could easily see my horrendously low speed and laugh. Instead, I decided to work on my upper body and settled into the butterfly press machine. Sadly, though, my struggle with the machine was probably more laughable than my slow speed. For some reason, I couldn’t figure out why it had multiple points of rotation or even which handles I should use.
Seeing my mishaps, the coach came over and explained how I should do it. After seeing I’d figured it out, he decided to put me through a workout. In between directions to the players, he’d walk over and adjust the weight on various machines and tell me how many reps and sets I should do after finishing on the machine I was using. Although I’d done my share of bench presses, I figured I should do as he said…I mean it’s not every day I have an Olympic-level coach working with me. Seeing their coach helping me, the players looked at me curiously but said nothing. I wondered what they were thinking of me and my obviously American accent…are they pro-American or do they just wish we’d get the hell out of their country? Although I really wanted to ask, I figured such conversation wasn’t light gym banter.
Later, I looked a little more into Iraq’s football team history. As I thought, until recently, the team had been controlled by Saddam Hussein’s people. His eldest son, Uday, had presided over the Olympic and national teams and athletes. In 2003, Sports Illustrated ran an article quoting sources accusing Uday of severe and sometimes lethal punishments for poor performance, often telling them they’d embarrassed or disgraced the country. Four months after the story ran, Uday was killed in a battle with American forces in northern Iraq. Apparently now, Iraq has created a new Olympic-governing committee, one that is overseen by a democratically elected official.
That night I watched part of the game on TV. Korea definitely had a home-town advantage and in the second half out-played their opponents and took many more shots on goal, easily winning 3-0. but seeing the Iraqi football players in person I was a bit surprised how much they didn’t act like so many of the professional American athletes I’d worked with as a sports reporter in the states. Even without the fear that Uday apparently instilled, I don’t think they ever disgraced their country in their time in Korea…there was no trash-talking when they’d pass their opponents in the halls, no players drunkenly yelling to each other from the bar, or even advances made toward any of the Korean girls and women hanging around outside the hotel who’d come to gawk and fawn over the Korean players and their European coaches.
Later, my thoughts wandered back to the political ties that engulf both our countries. If they truly were playing as free men and now without fear of governmental repercussions, I guessed these were the first people I’d encountered who’d directly benefited from America’s War in Iraq. Did they see it that way, too? Or did they think the US’ invasion was a complete sham and mistake, as many Americans now seem to believe?
By the time I hit the gym yesterday morning, Iraq’s team was likely long gone. I went through a workout similar to the day before, still wondering exactly what those players and coaches think of us…and with two trips to the gym and a mindful of questions, I’m exhausted.
