Soccer fever hits BICC

Soccer fever hits BICC

Passing by the lobby of the Bali International Convention
Center (BICC) on Sunday afternoon one could hear calls of "yes!"
or "c'mon!"

That was uncharacteristic of an intensive UN meeting on
sustainable development, which has been held in the building for
the past week.

Upon closer inspection, it became clear they were not calls
for time-bound measures or specific targets for the document
being negotiated, called the Chairman's Text or the Bali
Commitment, but the cheering of delegations and organizing
committee staff for their favorite soccer team playing in the
World Cup.

Dozens of people were seen huddling around a 29-inch
television in the lobby, on which they were watching the match
between England and Sweden. Some had even brought out chairs to
make the viewing more comfortable.