Iraqi Teams Banned From Beijing Olympics

IOC Says Iraqi Government Missed Deadline To Address Accusations Of Political Interference

(AP)  The International Olympic Committee has upheld a ban on Iraqi teams at the Beijing Games, saying Thursday the government missed the deadline to address accusations of political interference.

The IOC decision culminates a drawn-out internal feud in Iraq that many see as an extension of Shiite payback to Sunnis who once held a cozy niche in Saddam Hussein's regime.

In May, the government dissolved the National Olympic Committee. Among the claims was it was illegitimate because it lacked a legal quorum — but four members of the committee, including its chief, were kidnapped two years ago and their fates are unknown.

There is also a potential sectarian rift. Iraq's Youth and Sports Ministry is dominated by Shiites, while the NOC includes several holdovers from the Saddam-era Olympic Committee, once run by his feared eldest son, Odai.

The International Olympics Committee denounced the order as "serious interference" in what is supposed to be an independent body and demanded the government respect the NOC's autonomy.

"Clearly we'd very much like to have seen Iraq's athletes in Beijing," IOC spokeswoman Giselle Davies said Thursday. "We are very disappointed that the athletes have been so ill-served by their own government's actions."

The Iraqi Olympic team was greeted with a roaring ovation at the opening ceremony of the Athens Games in 2004. That was the country's first Olympics after the fall of Saddam and Odai, who as head of the Iraqi Olympic committee tortured athletes who failed to reach his standards. Iraq's soccer team became one of the feel-good stories of those games when it made a surprising run to the semifinals.

Five Iraqi athletes were expected to compete this year in non-track and field sports — archery, judo, rowing and weightlifting. Their places will be offered to athletes from other countries.

Basil Abdul-Mahdi, an adviser to the Iraqi minister for youth and sport, said the government never had any intention of reversing its decision and the ban was no surprise. He said Iraqi participation in Arab regional competitions would be unaffected.

"We will bring suit to defend our sports rights," Abdul-Mahdi said.

The IOC and Olympic Council of Asia jointly sent a letter Wednesday to Iraq's minister for youth and sport, Jassem Mohammed Jaafar, confirming Iraq's suspension "despite joint efforts.... over the past few months to find a positive solution with Iraqi authorities."

Iraq's government said after the June 4 suspension it wanted to meet with the IOC "to make its legitimate case."

It said the decision to dissolve the Olympic committee was based on "solid evidence of blatant corruption, lack of legitimate transparent electoral processes and accountability and absence of ratified legislation."

But IOC spokeswoman Davies said Thursday the Iraqi government was asked to come to Switzerland to discuss possible remedies "but (it) did not positively respond to the IOC's invitation."

She said the suspension destroyed progress made in Iraq's sporting community since the fall of Saddam in 2003.

Iraq's athletes are not the first to miss an Olympic Games because of government interference.

In the most recent case, Afghanistan was prevented from sending a team to the Sydney Games in 2000 because of the Taliban regime's intervention in sports administration.

[sociald63]

finally !!

[ajaxtheleast]

How much of a surprise can it be that
the country run by puppets of this
administration cant keep their hands
out of something.

Or, is it possible the the world hates
Bush so much that they even hate the
country that, through no fault of their
own, is occupied by the
beyond debatable hateable Bush.

(Didn''t Ethel Mermem belt those out as
lyrics to end Act One of
some Broadway play?)

[timrek10567]

Or look at it like this:
Isn''t it pathetic that a nation that was freed from a tyrant who tortured athletes ranked second in the world .. a nation that has been given a second chance at the cost of the lives of others who want to see them free, can''t get their heads out of their ..butts.. long enough to pick five guys for a pick-up game?
Look, berate Bush all you want, fine by me, but in the end people get the government they deserve, and bad is at is (for some of you) here, I am starting to feel that the people of Iraq got what they had coming in Saddam, and continue to "fail to achieve" because they feel they can lay it on the good old US of A

[sistatee-2009]

No berka-clad pole-vaulters? What a shame.

[liberalme]

I am starting to feel that the people of Iraq got what they had coming in Saddam, and continue to "fail to achieve" because they feel they can lay it on the good old US of A

Posted by timrek10567 at 03:13 PM : Jul 24, 2008

100% TRUE

Posted by dmw1167

Sorry, but at this time--they were better off with Saddam!
At least they had a place to live, had food water electricity--there weren''t over 2 million displaced and there weren''t over 600,000 dead.

The Iraqi civilians there now didn''t ask for any of this, there were no AlQueda/Terrorists in their country--only Saddam--until Bush wanted to take what didn''t belong to him at a cost he couldn''t care less about.

These Iraqis want to take part, but the "new" government isn''t cooperating-being between their "new" government and Bush--these people don''t have a snowballs chance in heII to be what they consider to be "normal".

[liberalme]

Funny, the US government cannot pay the way of their own teams, but you can bet damned sure that some of the missing BILLIONS of dollars wasted in Iraq were going to support the Iraqi team.


Posted by Nancy_Naive at 02

Heck, that money is long gone, and you can bet it went into someones pocket--not to the Iraqi civilians.

[liberalme]

Or look at it like this:
Isn''''t it pathetic that a nation that was freed from a tyrant who tortured athletes ranked second in the world .. a nation that has been given a second chance at the cost of the lives of others who want to see them free, can''''t get their heads out of their ..butts.. long enough to pick five guys for a pick-up game?

Posted by timrek10567

You call how they''re living "free"?? Are you nuts???

[mbievtea]

You would think something like the Olympics would show its "human" side and provde Iraqis the chance to compete in the games ... just think how that would make them feel!

[summarex]

It sounds to me like anti Bush sentiments are now rampant in the international olympic comittee

[beehive21-2009]

The oly committee picked a backwards country ,too host the Olys and r idiots.

[downsteamjim]

To liberal me and Nancy naive: You can support the U.S. Olympic Team. I do realize that this will violate the basic liberal tenant: ''Spend other people''s money but never spend your own.''