IRAQ BANNED FROM BEIJING OLYMPICS

Just two weeks before the start of the Olympics, Iraq was told yesterday that it’s not welcome in Beijing because of a political feud in Baghdad that angered the games’ guardians. The International Olympic Committee told Iraqi sports officials in a letter that it would uphold its ban imposed in June after the government in Baghdad replaced its national Olympic panel with members not recognized by the IOC. The IOC had called the move unacceptable government interference. In Iraq, it also smacked of the lingering sectarian bitterness between the new Shiite power brokers and the Sunnis who were once favored under Saddam Hussein — whose son, Odai, ran the nation’s Olympic committee as a personal fiefdom and was accused of torturing athletes who came up short.

A spokeswoman for the IOC, Giselle Davies, suggested there was still a possibility for last-ditch talks to salvage Iraq’s place before the games open August 8.

Associated Press

SWIMMER HARDY FAILS DRUG TEST

Jessica Hardy’s first trip to the Olympics could be over before it began. The swimmer tested positive for a banned substance, leaving her just two weeks to pursue any appeals before the Beijing Games. Ms. Hardy’s “A” sample from the recent U.S. Olympic trials tested positive, a person familiar with the test results told the Associated Press on Wednesday night. The person, who requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly, said the banned substance was a stimulant but did not provide any other details. In Beijing, Ms. Hardy was expected to be a medal threat in the 100-meter breaststroke, and to play an important part on the Amerian 400-meter free relay team, and possibly the 400 medley relay.

Associated Press

FOREIGN BUSINESSMEN OUT, LEPERS IN UNDER NEW RULES

Foreign businessmen on non-urgent visits will not be allowed into major Chinese cities until after the Olympics, the authorities have said. But in a rare loosening of social controls, foreign lepers will be let in for the first time. Shanghai, which alone among the “Olympic cities” affected posted the decision on its Web site, said the move had been made to improve social order. Beijing also confirmed the new rules, but without explanation. Although a number of new visa regulations have been imposed in the run-up to the games, the new rule is the first to give such a specific ban. It does not prevent the granting of business visas, but says that issuing of “letters of invitation,” which businesspeople from abroad need to obtain for working visits to China, will be postponed until after the Games.

The Daily Telegraph

CHINA: TERRORIST CELL BROKEN UP

China has claimed to have broken up an “international terrorist cell” that was plotting an attack against an Olympics soccer qualifying game in Shanghai. “We have obtained information that international terrorist organizations would likely launch an attack against an Olympic venue in the city during the games,” the head of the city’s Olympic security bureau, Cheng Jiulong, was quoted as saying by state press. “We have staged raids and cracked a group of terrorists.” In common with a string of such claims by the Chinese authorities in recent months, no further details were immediately given, such as the number of arrests, the nature if any of weapons captured, or what the purpose of the attack was to have been.

The Daily Telegraph