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@handtightenonly
It's a little old, but maybe it should be moved to the winter:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/23351824
As a result of what extreme heat has the potential to do to the body (heart attack is rumoured to have killed Christian Benitez) it's probably a wise move. It's impossible to undertake any kind of exercise during the hotter periods of the day.
There's a disused camel racing track which Sheikh Mohammed has rather kindly had covered in tarmac that has three different length "laps" - 4, 6 & 8km. When I first arrived I thought I was doing well to go round the 8km track three times in the new-for-me extreme heat (bear in mind that November is significantly cooler) and the other guys were doing fifteen or twenty laps. Now I'm in a better position physically (and mentally) to ride further, the temperatures of 40deg at 7pm force even the seasoned riders here to only do a maximum of five or six laps. Keeping cool is really tough - I have to prepare two bottles (one of electrolytes/sugars/salts etc and one of water) and freeze them. Even before I get on my bike they've started to melt and by the time I've completed two laps they're starting to get warm and warm electrolyte drinks taste like stomach bile...
I'm clearly not a professional athlete by any stretch of the imagination, but I can understand the concern for the footballers in Qatar.
Anyway, why Qatar? There's even less there than there is here.