Press Release - International Olympic Committee - Beijing Olympics - 6/4/08

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

         IOC Provisionally Suspends Iraqi Olympic Committee 

The Executive Board of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) decided 
today to provisionally suspend the Iraqi National Olympic Committee (NOC) 
as a consequence of the on-going political interference by the government 
within the sports movement in Iraq. This culminated two weeks ago in the 
Iraqi Council of Ministers dismissing the NOC and its member federations 
and appointing an interim committee chaired by the Minister of Sport: a 
clear breach of the NOC's autonomy.
Consequently, on the basis of the provision of the Olympic Charter (Rule 
28.9 in particular) and in order to protect the Olympic Movement in Iraq, 
the IOC Executive Board ruled as follows:

The Iraqi National Olympic Committee is suspended on a provisional 
basis – with all the consequences provided by the Olympic Charter – as a 
protective measure due to the interferences from the Iraqi government 
authorities.
 
 
The IOC does not recognize any 'interim committee' nor any other 
officers appointed by the Iraqi government authorities to supervise the 
NOCI or the Iraqi Olympic and sports movement and reiterates its full 
support to the office bearers of the NOCI and Olympic and sports movement 
who were legitimately elected.
 
 
The IOC – together with the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), the 
Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF) and the 
Iraqi NOC office bearers who were legitimately elected – will invite 
representatives of the Iraqi government authorities in order to analyse the 
situation and find appropriate solutions for the Iraqi NOC and the Iraqi 
Olympic and sports movement as a whole, including the athletes, provided 
that the principles and rules laid down in the Olympic Charter will always 
be strictly observed, in particular the autonomy of the Iraqi NOC and the 
Olympic and sports movement.
 
 
The IOC will continue to look for ways to help Iraqi athletes, although the 
situation created by the Iraqi government authorities makes the task very 
difficult. Over the last three years, the IOC and the wider Olympic 
Movement have taken a series of initiatives in favour of Iraqi sport. 
Through this collaboration, some 50 Iraqi athletes and coaches have been 
able to find adequate training opportunities within various NOCs for the 
Doha Asian Games in December 2006 and the Beijing Olympic Games. 

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