When the world gets closer.

We help you see farther.

Sign up to our expressly international daily newsletter.

Already a subscriber? Log in .

You've reached your limit of one free article.

Get unlimited access to Worldcrunch

You can cancel anytime .

SUBSCRIBERS BENEFITS

Exclusive International news coverage

Ad-free experience NEW

Weekly digital Magazine NEW

9 daily & weekly Newsletters

Access to Worldcrunch archives

Free trial

30-days free access, then $2.90
per month.

Annual Access BEST VALUE

$19.90 per year, save $14.90 compared to monthly billing.save $14.90.

Subscribe to Worldcrunch
Algeria

Did Soviet Doctors Dupe Algeria’s 1980s-Era Soccer Team Into Doping Up?

For a while, tiny Algeria had a world-class soccer team. But years later, players are asking if performance-enhancing drugs administered by Soviet trainers played a role in the success. Why the suspicion? Seven of the players have since fathered handicapp

Algerian players celebrating a goal against Chile in the 1982 World Cup
Algerian players celebrating a goal against Chile in the 1982 World Cup
Simon Meier

The 1980s were a golden age for Algerian football. A generation of talented stars led the tiny country to two World Cup appearances – Spain 1982 and Mexico 1986 – and provided a feast of memories that even today still fill Algerians with pride. Yes, but…

More recently this golden era has lost much of its shine as the sad family sagas of several players have given rise to uncomfortable questions about what exactly allowed Algeria's Fennecs Foxes – as the team is called – to shine quite so bright.

At least seven players from that legendary 1980s generation have fathered children who are physically and mentally handicapped. Compared to natural occurrence in the general population, this proportion is well above the norm. In fact, it's downright scary.

Three former players decided to break their silence and demand the situation be investigated. What they suspect is that there is a link between the handicapped children and performance-enhancing drugs the players may have been given during their international glory days.

In June 2010, Kaci Said, a defenseman on Algeria's 1986 World Cup team, together with teammate Mohamed Chaïb, spoke with the Algerian newspaper Le Buteur, asking whether "the Soviet doctors at the time pumped us full of performance-enhancing drugs that were dangerous for our health." From 1960 onward, Algeria and the USSR enjoyed close relations after the Soviets became the first country to recognize the new post-independence government.

More recently, former striker Djamel Menad stated on Nessma TV that he has a clear memory of the "yellow pills' that a Soviet doctor – pretending they were vitamins – offered the players. The AFP quoted Mohamed Chaïb earlier this week as saying: "We just want the truth." A simple request. But sometimes the truth is a lot to ask.

Read the original article in French

Photo - YouTube

You've reached your limit of free articles.

To read the full story, start your free trial today.

Get unlimited access. Cancel anytime.

Exclusive coverage from the world's top sources, in English for the first time.

Insights from the widest range of perspectives, languages and countries.

Society

How WeChat Is Helping Bhutan's Disappearing Languages Find A New Voice

Phd candidate Tashi Dema, from the University of New England, discusses how social media apps, particularly WeChat, are helping to preserve local Bhutanese languages without a written alphabet. Dema argues that preservation of these languages has far-reaching benefits for the small Himalayan country's rich culture and tradition.

A monk in red performing while a sillouhet of a monk is being illuminated by their phone.

Monk performing while a sillouheted monk is on their phone

Source: Caterina Sanders/Unsplash
Tashi Dema

THIMPHU — Dechen, 40, grew up in Thimphu, the capital city of Bhutan. Her native language was Mangdip, also known as Nyenkha, as her parents are originally from central Bhutan. She went to schools in the city, where the curriculum was predominantly taught in Dzongkha, the national language, and English.

In Dechen’s house, everyone spoke Dzongkha. She only spoke her mother tongue when she had guests from her village, who could not understand Dzongkha and during her occasional visits to her village nestled in the mountains. Her mother tongue knowledge was limited.

✉️ You can receive our Bon Vivant selection of fresh reads on international culture, food & travel directly in your inbox. Subscribe here.

However, things have now changed.

With 90% of Bhutanese people using social media and social media penetrating all remotes areas in Bhutan, Dechen’s relatives in remote villages are connected on WeChat.

Keep reading...Show less

The latest