By Sandra Dick -
MARK CLARK was relaxing in bed mulling over his bizarre new life in the heart of a war zone when the first massive explosion ripped through the hotel room opposite.
Just six feet of Baghdad hotel corridor separated the young Scots lawyer from almost certain death at the hands of Iraqi rebels armed with rockets and with murder and mayhem on their minds.
Escaping the smoke-filled, blood-splattered wreckage of the al-Rashid hotel that October morning was more down to sheer luck than anything else. But now, as Iraq’s small but fiercely proud band of athletes challenge the world’s greatest sportsmen and women in the ancient home of the Olympic games, the war-ravaged nation has reason to be glad that he did.
Mark is now being hailed as something of a national hero himself - after all, it is largely thanks to his decision to quit his comfortable existence with a city law firm and to put his own life on the line, that Iraq even has an Olympic squad to cheer on in Athens.
For as team manager - a role which was almost thrust upon him in the mayhem of post-Saddam Iraq - Mark has achieved what many thought impossible: uniting Iraq’s warring factions in support of their Olympians.
Speaking from the Olympic Village in Athens, he shrugs off talk of his "heroic" efforts to rebuild Iraqi sport, the stars of which had been subjected to torture and abuse by Saddam Hussein’s son Uday. Indeed, the fact that anyone would want to play sport after enduring a regime which beat and brutalised footballers who lost, raped sportswomen and imprisoned athletes who failed to win is testimony to his achievements.
"Hero? Oh, I don’t think any individual can claim responsibility for something as big as this," the 30-year-old maintains.
"But I do feel very, very lucky to be working with a great group of people and I do believe that what we are doing is making a difference to Iraq."
That belief has been strengthened since he arrived with the Iraqi team in Athens last week to a rapturous welcome. The squad, only 25-strong and instantly recognisable in vivid green jackets, has been swamped by well-wishers leaving the sportsmen and one woman bemused and proud to be hailed as the positive face of a nation scarred by oppression and war.
It’s a far cry from June last year, when the former Edinburgh Academy pupil was busy working as a lawyer specialising in intellectual property and sports-related law with respected Edinburgh solicitors Dundas and Wilson, and spending his spare time training with the Territorial Army - a so-called "weekend soldier".
He admits to being "delighted" when the call came for him to join the regular army in Iraq. "It’s what anyone in the TA or reserve forces looks forward to. Of course, I had the normal concerns that anyone would, but I had had military training and wasn’t unduly worried," he recalls.
A captain with the Queen’s Own Yeomanry squadron based in Cupar in Fife, he was posted to a military liaison job at divisional headquarters in Basra - but not for long. The Coalition Provisional Authority realised something had to be done to ensure the Iraqi youth had a positive outlet for their energy. What better way than through sport?
Mark, a former rugby player forced to quit after breaking a bone in his back while paragliding, seemed ideal for the job. With a background in sport-related law - he helped set up the Scottish Premier League and worked with the SRU and Rangers - he was delighted to take up the challenge.
Mark’s first role was to rebuild the sport and youth facilities in Basra - from scratch. "The amount of looting that had taken place was astonishing," he recalls. "It wasn’t just equipment that had been taken - the lightbulbs were gone, even the electrical wiring. There was absolutely nothing left."
He set about re-establishing sports clubs and youth centres, touring war-scarred areas and chatting to young Iraqis about how he could help. Then, after just four weeks, Iraq’s senior adviser for youth and sport left the post, and Mark was considered the best man to take his place in Baghdad.
"The army wanted me to continue my work in Basra, while the role in Baghdad came under Foreign Office control. It meant having two jobs and commuting between Basra and Baghdad. It was a killer, a lot of work - flying between the two on board RAF planes on tactical flights. Not quite your average commute."
Mark quickly put his legal skills to use ensuring democratic elections were held free from interference from former members of the feared Ba’ath party. Then there was work to be done encouraging investment, rebuilding shattered sports facilities and even negotiating with other countries in the hope they could offer training and equipment.
BUT surely, some argue, sport should have to be at the bottom of the list of things to do in post-war Iraq? Mark responds: "From a pure security objective, if you can provide community sports facilities, then you can keep the youth occupied - particularly males aged 14 to 20 who might otherwise be susceptible to other influences, whether they are extreme religious groups, terrorist organisations or hardened criminals.
"There are also worthwhile objectives in terms of community building and nation building. It’s obvious now we are in Athens - the Olympic team and the football team in particular have brought together all Iraqis, whatever their religion, political persuasion or ethnic origin."
At first Mark’s major headache was attempting to overcome the massive problems with communication: there were no faxes, telephones, post or e-mail. But a much bigger problem was looming on the horizon - the situation in Iraq was about to become rather more dangerous.
"At first we were able to drive around in unarmoured vehicles with minimum security. Now it is much more dangerous. I’m aware I’m a target. I’m always armed," he says. He plays down the dangers, shrugging off the dozens of times bricks have been hurled through the windscreen of his car and dodging bullets from handguns, rifle fire and even rocket-propelled grenades.
"I’ve been mortared and RPG’d thousands of times, rocks through the windscreen, normal everyday stuff," he continues, matter of fact. "But it has become harder to travel as the security threat has escalated."
Perhaps the most terrifying incident involved the rocket attack on Baghdad’s al-Rashid hotel in October. Mark was in his hotel room when militants launched more than a dozen rockets at the 14-storey building - leaving a United States colonel dead and 18 others injured. "It was about 6am, I was in bed when I heard repeated explosions," he recalls. "The whole building was shaking. I threw myself to the floor and pulled a mattress over my head. It was a case of waiting until the explosions stopped and then venturing out to see what the damage was. There was a lot of smoke and water - the plumbing had ruptured - and a lot of confusion, noise and a lot of blood: blood was running down the stairs," he recalls.
Incredibly, Mark emerged uninjured.
Mark regards his entire time in Iraq as one giant lucky break. "I had the choice of going back to Edinburgh after six months and carrying on my old, familiar life," he says. "It was difficult but now I know I made the right decision. To be in Iraq at a time when people are making history . . . it’s an incredible sense of job satisfaction, despite the amazing frustrations and challenges. I feel extremely lucky and privileged to be here. I couldn’t have turned it down."
THE abolition of the Coalition Provisional Authority meant Mark had to make another decision whether to remain in Iraq. He opted to stay, taking on his current role of working with the National Olympic Committee of Iraq as team manager. It is largely down to his determination and enthusiasm that Iraq now has 41 sports bodies, 214 sports clubs and, of course, a squad of Olympians.
"The sportsmen and women of Iraq are the most dedicated, courageous and patient of people," says Mark. "They are wonderful ambassadors for their country.
"Before Uday, Iraq participated at the highest level. But Uday refused to allow sportsmen and women to travel abroad to compete, there was no development of sport, sponsorship or investment.
"There were stories of physical abuse - the national football team were locked in prison if they lost, the soles of their feet beaten and they were made to play football using a concrete ball. Not surprisingly, women’s sport disintegrated. Women athletes were often taken away to be raped by Uday or his henchman. There wasn’t much incentive to be a sportsman or woman. Let’s just say our motivational techniques have changed - for the better!"
Now, as Greece’s Olympic Games echo to the cheers of support for Iraq’s young footballers and runners, its judo, tae kwon do and weightlifting competitors and its lone boxer, sport in Iraq is suddenly no longer something to be feared.
While talk may not stretch to gold medals, there is no doubt the Olympians have brought new hope and unity to the nation.
Regardless of what Mark may say, many believe that’s largely down to him.
Maurice "Termite" Watkins, a Texan who has become Iraq’s boxing coach, and Najah Ali, the country’s only Olympic boxer, describe him as a hero. "He has done more for sport in Iraq than anybody. We would not be here at the Olympics but for him," says Watkins. "He is an unsung hero."
Source: The Scotsman
