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LAUSANNE, Switzerland: The ban on Iraq competing at the Beijing
Olympics next month has been lifted, the International Olympic
Committee (IOC) announced here on Tuesday.
Iraq’s Olympic contingent were cleared to take
part in the 2008 Games after agreement was reached between the IOC
and the Iraqi government at a crisis meeting at the IOC’s
headquarters in Lausanne.
As the deadline for competitors at the Games for
all events except athletics passed on July 23 the Iraqi contingent
will now number only two athletes.
The lifting of the ban came about after the
Iraqi government agreed on a series of steps leading to a fully
functioning independent National Olympic Committee (NOC) in Iraq.
IOC President Jacques Rogge hailed the eleventh
hour deal, saying, “We look forward to seeing the Iraqi flag in
Beijing.”
The Olympic chief added, “I commend the
government of Iraq for reaching an agreement that serves the
long-term interest of Iraqi athletes.
“We have said all along that we want to see
Iraqi athletes in Beijing.”
In June, the IOC had suspended Iraq for
“political interference” in its NOC which was sacked in May and
replaced by a new panel headed by Iraqi Youth and Sports Minister
Jassem Jaafar.
-- AFP
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