Mosul officials seek to block demolition of Duvase sports complex

MOSUL, Iraq — The head of the Mosul Youth Forum, Ziyad Ganım Mahmud, has publicly opposed plans to convert the Duvase Sports Complex on the city's right bank into a commercial investment project, saying it is the only sports facility in that part of the city. Mahmud said contracts granted to the investor contain no provisions related to sports activity and instead call for the construction of a hospital, a pharmacy and a café. He said demolition work has already affected the forum building, the Blue Hall and the playing field, and alleged that the investor dismantled steel structures on the site and sold them for personal gain. According to Mahmud, the properties have been transferred in full to the Nineveh Governorate and removed from the oversight of the Ministry of Youth and Sports. He added that the investor was briefly detained in recent days following a formal complaint filed with Iraq's anti-corruption authorities. Mahmud called on the governorate, the state properties department and the youth directorate to intervene immediately to preserve the complex's sporting purpose. No further details on the status of the complaint or the demolition were immediately available.