Violence Strikes Iraq Olympics Committee

(ATR) Sources in Iraq tell Around the Rings there is no word on the fate of the head of the National Olympic Committee of Iraq or its secretary general following their kidnapping in Baghdad with other sport leaders.

Ahmad Al-Sammarai, Ammar Jabbar al-Saadi, along with the heads of the national federations for taekwando and boxing, were blindfolded and taken at gunpoint from a meeting in Baghdad Saturday.

As many as 30 people may have been taken in the raid, which reports say was carried out by a gang of up to 50 men wearing camouflage-style Iraqi police uniforms.

"The IOC strongly condemns these acts against the sport community and calls for the immediate release of the hostages," says a statement from the IOC. The IOC says "it is in contact with the National Olympic Committee of Iraq and is monitoring the situation closely".

Iraqi officials say that the abductions are likely the work of criminal gangs and not religious in nature, given that both Sunnis and Shiites were taken captive. Guards did not stop the raid because they thought the men in uniform were police. A report says one of the guards was killed as he fled. The body of another guard, who was taken captive, was found on a street in the neighborhood.

The attack is the latest episode in a wave of violence against Iraqi sport. On Thursday the coach of the Iraq wresting team was killed as he tried to escape a kidnapping. In May, two tennis players and their coach were shot. And there remains no news on the fate of 15 members of the national taekwondo team who were abducted west of Baghdad earlier in May.

"We need help from the government," a frazzled-sounding Al-Sammarai told Around the Rings by telephone from Baghdad last month about the escalation of trouble.

"We need security guards if [athletes] are training in Iraq. We will have to see in terms of training camps and facilities if other, friendly nations will accept some of our athletes to train," he said.

Al-Sammarai was the target of gunmen in 2004 as he traveled by car to a meeting, while Tiras Odisho, director general of the NOCI was kidnapped and released last year after a ransom was paid.

Al-Sammarai's kidnapping comes two days before he was to travel to a meeting at the headquarters of the Olympic Council of Asia to discuss training for Iraq athletes in other countries, away from the violence.

Iraqi athletes are trying to train for the Asian Games in Doha, now less than five months away, as well as the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

Patrick Hickey, secretary general of the European Olympic Committees tells Around the Rings he will still head to Kuwait for the Monday meeting that will include EOC President Mario Pescante and Sheik Al Sabah, OCA President, and like Hickey and Pescante, a member of the IOC.

"Not to go would be a disaster," says Hickey.

He says Europe is prepared to sign a memorandum of understanding that will make training opportunities on the continent available to Iraqi athletes.

Speaking in Atlanta, U.S. Olympic Committee vice president international Bob Ctvrtlik says "the USOC wants to be involved" and has prepared a package of assistance for Iraq athletes.