São Paulo – The International Olympic Committee (ICO) has decided to authorise the participation of Iraq in the Beijing Olympics, which begin on August 08. According to information supplied by the organisation, the government of Iraq and the IOC reached an agreement yesterday (29) opening way for athletes from the country to participate in the Games.
Last week, the IOC had excluded Iraq from the competition due to supposed undue interference by the Iraqi Olympic Committee. According to the organisation, in May this year the government of the Arab country replaced the independent council for one controlled by the state, which violates the rules of the Games.
In an answer to this measure, the IOC decided to suspend the Iraqi committee on the 4th of this month, and there was no solution to the impasse up to the end of the 23rd, deadline for enrolment of athletes to participate in the Olympics, except for the case of athletics. As a result, five positions reserved for competitors from the country were redistributed to other delegations.
The International Committee informs, however, that two Iraqis may participate in the Games. Initially the country planned to be represented by seven athletes competing in judo, athletics, archery and rowing.
According to the IOC, after a meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland, the organisation and the government of Iraq reached an agreement regarding the process to result in a National Committee "that is entirely independent and functional". The agreement forecasts that a new Iraqi committee should be elected by the end of November.
The National Olympic Committee of Iraq was established in 1948. To date, the country has only won one medal in the Games, a bronze by weightlifter Abdul Wahid Aziz, in Rome, in 1960. In the Athens Olympics, in 2004, the country came in fourth in the football tournament.
*Translated by Mark Ament
