Iraq Banned From Beijing Olympics

This is sad, especially considering this is the fault of the sectarian idiots in the current Iraqi government!

"The dispute between Iraq and the IOC began when the Shiite-led government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki moved on May 20 to replace the members of the Iraqi Olympic committee, which included Iraqis of various ethnic and sectarian backgrounds. The new committee is made up almost entirely of Shiites, according to two members of the disbanded panel."

And to add insult to injury, to prove to the world just how stupid they really are, the new committee's secretary general, Sameer al-Hashemi, said "I'm sure our athletes wouldn't win anything, even if they could go."

I think this story is symbolic; it is more proof of the Iraqi government's unwillingness to represent and unify all Iraqis.

Olympics-Iraq banned from Beijing Games, says NOC chief

By Waleed Ibrahim

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq have been banned from next month's Beijing Games because of a government decision to disband the country's National Olympic Committee (NOC), a senior official said on Thursday.

"This morning we were informed of the final decision of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to suspend the membership of the Iraqi Olympic Committee," NOC general secretary Hussein al-Amidi told Reuters.

"It is a blow to Iraq and its international reputation, its athletes and its youth."

The government of Iraq disbanded the NOC in May because of a dispute over how it had been assembled. The IOC gave Iraq a deadline to reinstate the committee but the government has refused to back down.

Iraq had planned to send a small team despite violence that has killed more than 100 athletes in the country since the 2003 United States-led invasion.

At least seven Iraqi athletes, two rowers, a weightlifter, a sprinter, a discus thrower, a judoka and an archer, had won places in Beijing.

"There's nothing I can do. The government of Iraq wanted this. I can't believe I'm not going to take part in the Beijing Olympics. The news is hard to take," archer Ali Adnan told Reuters from Egypt where he had been training.

IOC DISAPPOINTED Continued...