Public sports in post-war Iraq

Iraqi boys play football in an empty street in central Baghdad, on June 21, 2006. Despite the bombings, kidnappings and killings, power blackouts and fuel shortages, passion for the game endures in a country that used to be a dominant regional force in the sport and qualified for the 1986 World Cup in Mexico. [Photo/icpress]

An Iraqi father and his son enjoy splashing in a swimming pool in the Salhiyeh district of Baghdad, on June 6, 2008. It costs $3 to enter the bathing area for a maximum of two hours. There are a few places the youth of Baghdad can have fun. Most parks and playgrounds are closed or too dangerous to enter and playing on the streets is also not safe due to the inter-sectarian violence and explosions. [Photo/icpress]