BAGHDAD — Four years after its athletes received a huge ovation at the first Olympics after the fall of Saddam Hussein, Iraq was told Thursday that its seven-member team would not be allowed to compete in Beijing because of a dispute with the International Olympic Committee.
Olympic officials informed Iraq that it was barring the team because the government had dismissed the country's Olympic committee and appointed a new body chaired by its youth and sports minister.
The IOC action two weeks before the Games' opening ceremony came after it had threatened in June to bar Iraq from participating.
Iraqi officials have charged that the IOC was misrepresenting their efforts to rebuild the country's executive Olympic body after a mass kidnapping two years ago. They said the new panel was appointed because after the kidnapping, the executive committee had been beset by corruption and a shortage of members.
"I am deeply saddened for the Iraqi athletes who did nothing wrong," said Anita DeFrantz, the senior American member of the IOC. "It is hard to understand how a government in today's world could purposely deny them their opportunity by fiat."
IOC spokeswoman Giselle Davies laid out hope that last-minute talks could save the day. "If there can be some movement and if a resolution can be found, that's still an open door," she told CNN. She estimated that Iraq had about a week to salvage the situation.
None of the seven Iraqi athletes, who were to compete in track and field, rowing, archery and weightlifting, were considered medal contenders. The track and field athletes, both sprinters, stand the best chance of still being able to compete because the deadline for entries in that sport comes after the Aug. 8 opening ceremony, according to the IOC.
While the IOC accused Iraq's government of meddling in sports, Baghdad accused the IOC of failing to meet with Iraqi officials and of being under the thrall of favorites dating back to 2004, when the first post-Hussein Olympic committee was set up under the sponsorship of the U.S.-led Coalition Provisional Authority.
"It was an unfair decision against the Iraqi Olympic movement and Iraqi sports," said Basil Adel Mehdi, an advisor to the minister of youth and sports. "It is a punishment against Iraqi athletes."
