Seven Iraqi athletes from five different sports qualified for the Olympics Athletes from Iraq have been banned from taking part at this summer's Beijing Games, the International Olympic Committee has announced. The team was already the subject of an interim ban after the Iraqi government replaced the country's Olympic committee with its own appointees. Under the IOC charter, all committees must be free of political influence. Iraq had been planning to send a team of at least seven athletes to the Olympics which start on 8 August. Two rowers, a weightlifter, a sprinter, a discus thrower, a judoka and an archer were in the frame for the trip to Beijing. "The deadline for taking up places for Beijing for all sports except athletics has now passed," said IOC spokeswoman Giselle Davies. "The IOC very sadly has now to acknowledge that it is likely there will be no Iraqi presence at the Beijing Olympic Games, despite our best efforts." She added: "Clearly, we'd very much like to have seen Iraq's athletes in Beijing. "We are very disappointed that the athletes have been so ill-served by their own government's actions." The four Iraqi athletes that qualified could have competed under the Olympic flag
BBC Radio 5 Live's Gordon Farquhar Hussein al-Amidi, the general secretary of the Iraqi Olympic Committee, said: "This morning we were informed of the final decision of the International Olympic Committee to suspend the membership of the Iraqi Olympic Committee. "It's a final decision, there is no way to appeal. This means that Iraq will not take part in the coming Olympic games. "It is a blow to Iraq and its international reputation, its athletes and its youth. "I swear those athletes who have been training - they phoned me today and they were crying and were very upset." The Iraq government dissolved the National Olympic Committee in May and the interim IOC ban was put in place on 4 June. Davies added that the Iraqi government had been asked to travel to Switzerland to meet the IOC to discuss possible remedies but failed to do so. The committee which the government dismissed was elected in 2004, in line with the Olympic movement's regulations. The Iraqi government said it took the decision to appoint a new committee because the previous one was corrupt and had not been functioning properly. Ahmad al-Samarra'i, chairman of the committee dismissed by the government, and several other members had previously been abducted by gunmen while attending a meeting in central Baghdad in July 2006. They have not been seen since.
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The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has told the Iraqi Olympic Committee that Iraq can not field a team in the 2008 Summer Olympics, which are due to open in Beijing, China August 8, 2008.  
The Olympic flag

The International Olympic committee said that it took this action "as a consequence of the ongoing political interference by the government within the sports movement in Iraq." The Iraqi government suspended its Olympic Committee, the National Olympic Committee of Iraq, which they viewed as dysfunctional for several reasons, including the holding of illegitimate meetings, having officials serve past their post and living outside of the country. Interference by government is not permitted by the IOC.  

The government of Iraq has said that the decision undermines the effort athletes put into getting a place in the Iraqi Olympic team. Dana Hussain, one of the sprinters who would have been on the Iraqi team, was reported to be distraught by the decision. According to her coach she was "crying for about two hours." Her coach compared the decision to "finding out that a close relative has died."

The deadline to register for five of the seven would-be Iraqi Olympians has passed. However, if the National Olympic Committee of Iraq is reinstated, the possibility exists that its two sprinters may be able to compete, if they register before the track and field deadline at the end of July.