美国国家公共电台 NPR--Why French cities are refusing to show World Cup games on giant public screens

Why French cities are refusing to show World Cup games on giant public screens

Transcript¹

The World Cup begins next month in Qatar. France is the defending champion, but French cities have decided² not to show the games at public gatherings³ to protest Qatar's record on human rights.

A MARTINEZ, HOST:

The FIFA Men's World Cup, the most widely watched sporting event on the planet, begins November 20 in Qatar. France is the defending champ, but many French cities are refusing to broadcast the games on giant public screens. NPR's Eleanor Beardsley tells us why.

(CHEERING)

ELEANOR BEARDSLEY, BYLINE⁴: When France beat Croatia to win the 2018 World Cup held in Russia, a hundred thousand fans went wild back in Paris under the Eiffel Tower in an official fan zone. But this year, Paris and other French cities like Bordeaux, Strasbourg, Lille and Marseille say they won't promote the World Cup in public fan zones to protest Qatar's human rights and climate violations⁵.

ERIC PIOLLE: My name is Eric Piolle, and I'm the mayor of Grenoble.

BEARDSLEY: Grenoble's mayor says his city wants no connection to a World Cup where more than 6,000 workers died building stadiums that are air-conditioned. He says the canceling of fan zones is raising public consciousness.

PIOLLE: We had the same year Winter Olympics and the World Cup in a place where you should not have large events, for both human rights and environmental reasons.

BEARDSLEY: Piolle is referring to the Beijing Winter Olympics, where the snow had to be manufactured, and for the first time the World Cup changed seasons, moving from summer to late fall due to Qatar's intense heat.

PIOLLE: We see here a momentum⁶ where even people connected to sport and to football start to say that we cannot continue like this.

BEARDSLEY: Jean-Baptiste Guegan is a specialist in geopolitics and sport. He says the mostly leftist and green mayors doing this are talking a noble game, but their actions will have no impact whatsoever⁷ on Qatar.

JEAN-BAPTISTE GUEGAN: (Through interpreter) The reality is these fan zones are very expensive at a time when inflation and the price of electricity is skyrocketing. They're also extremely difficult to secure, so it suits to cancel them.

BEARDSLEY: Guegan notes that Paris officials boycotting⁸ the Qatar Cup are often the very ones asking for tickets to see Paris Saint-Germain, a team owned by Qatar. But he admits the World Cup choice of Qatar does pose a huge problem for the sports world. Not a single board member of the International Football Federation⁹, or FIFA, that chose the country in 2010 remains¹⁰. They all left amidst unrelated corruption¹¹ scandals.

JEAN COLOMBE: (Speaking French).

BEARDSLEY: "It's too late now," says Jean Colombe. "We should have boycotted¹² before and said we refuse to go to Qatar." But Lonni Lombi says this debate has made him think.

LONNI LOMBI: (Speaking French).

BEARDSLEY: "When you learn how many people died building these stadiums, you feel revolted," he says. "It's not possible. It seems that money comes before everything." And Lombi says that takes all the joy out of the World Cup.

Eleanor Beardsley, NPR News, Paris.

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

3 gatherings   

聚集( gathering的名词复数 )； 收集； 采集； 搜集

参考例句：

• His conduct at social gatherings created a lot of comment. 他在社交聚会上的表现引起许多闲话。
• During one of these gatherings a pupil caught stealing. 有一次，其中一名弟子偷窃被抓住。

4 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

5 violations   

违反( violation的名词复数 )； 冒犯； 违反（行为、事例）； 强奸

参考例句：

• This is one of the commonest traffic violations. 这是常见的违反交通规则之例。
• These violations of the code must cease forthwith. 这些违犯法规的行为必须立即停止。

6 momentum   

n.动力，冲力，势头；动量

参考例句：

• We exploit the energy and momentum conservation laws in this way.我们就是这样利用能量和动量守恒定律的。
• The law of momentum conservation could supplant Newton's third law.动量守恒定律可以取代牛顿第三定律。

7 whatsoever   

adv.（用于否定句中以加强语气）任何；pron.无论什么

参考例句：

• There's no reason whatsoever to turn down this suggestion.没有任何理由拒绝这个建议。
• All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you,do ye even so to them.你想别人对你怎样，你就怎样对人。

8 boycotting   

抵制，拒绝参加( boycott的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• They're boycotting the shop because the people there are on strike. 他们抵制那家商店，因为那里的店员在罢工。
• The main opposition parties are boycotting the elections. 主要反对党都抵制此次选举。

9 federation   

n.同盟，联邦，联合，联盟，联合会

参考例句：

• It is a federation of 10 regional unions.它是由十个地方工会结合成的联合会。
• Mr.Putin was inaugurated as the President of the Russian Federation.普京正式就任俄罗斯联邦总统。

10 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

11 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

12 boycotted   

抵制，拒绝参加( boycott的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Athletes from several countries boycotted the Olympic Games. 有好几国的运动员抵制奥林匹克运动会。
• The opposition party earlier boycotted the Diet agenda, demanding Miyaji's resignation. 反对党曾杯葛国会议程，要宫路下台。