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A close ally of President Bashar Al Assad insists he will attend the Olympic games in London. ITV News' Neil Connery reports.
LONDON -- Britain is facing calls to ban the president of Syria's Olympic committee from entering the country to attend this summer's London 2012 Games.
Lawmakers and Syrian competitors say General Mowaffak Joumaa should not be allowed into Britain because he is a friend of dictator President Bashir Assad, whose regime has been accused by the United Nations of torturing and killing civilians.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) said last month that Syrian athletes would compete in London in July, despite the violence raging in their country.
However, the presence of senior Syrian officials is set to be controversial.
In his first television interview on the subject, General Joumaa, President of the Syrian Olympic committee, told ITV News there was "no question" he would be attending.
Sir Menzies Campbell, a senior British lawmaker and former Olympic athlete, said: "It would be totally against the spirit of the Olympic games if that man was allowed into Britain to attend the Games."
Abdelbasset Saroot, the former Syrian soccer team's goalkeeper, said his country's athletes do not want to compete in the Games because "they don't want to play for a flag that they have no pride or faith in".
The 20-year-old said: "I personally know the majority of the athletes don't want to take part and they are only going (out of) fear (for) their families - the regime repercussions if they don't comply."
Saroot, whose country failed to qualify for this summer's Olympic soccer tournament after a 2-1 defeat by Uzbekistan last month, is a supporter of the anti-government protests in Syria.
"My message as a footballer, athlete and activist first of all is that we are seeing a real massacre here and the world isn't speaking except of numbers and death tolls.
"These are real people, this is a massacre because people are being butchered, people in the world have forgotten about the humanitarian crisis - houses are being demolished."
Protests against President Assad's rule have prompted a crackdown that the United Nations says has killed more than 9,000 civilians. Syria says 3,000 members of the security forces have been killed by armed rebels.
Assad has agreed to a cease-fire negotiated by international peace envoy Kofi Annan from April 10, the latest effort to end the bloodshed.
British Prime Minister David Cameron said last week that Syrian athletes will be allowed into the UK to take part. The country's home office told ITV News it would "consider carefully" entry applications from Syria's delegation of officials.
It was not immediately clear if General Joumaa was among those covered by European sanctions that already ban foreign travel.
Neil Connery, ITV News Correspondent, and msnbc.com's Alastair Jamieson contributed to this report.
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Olympics are sham shows anyway!
IOC is another white elephant gone wild. Dow Chemicals is one of the sponsors.
Who cares if Syria attends or not? It would be better to keep away from the Olympic dramas.
Britain and many nations are trying to bite more than they can chew by taking sides and bringing Syrian and Iranian crisis to boling points.
They are deliberately increasing oil prices as during Iraqi wars!
How pathetic. I thought the Olympic Games were suppose to be above politics? At least they wee until the Peanut Farmer used them to make a political statement.
Olympic Games are for athletes- not the politicians or firebrands. They are only once every four years and any true athlete wants to excel. Olympic Games are for athletes of different countries to meet - they are the best memory of any athlete's lifetime- they participated whether they won or lost. For puny non-atrhlete politicos to start issuing their fatwas/ukases/dicta -have no place in Olympic Games. No politician nor their spouse should be allowed on the green. James Earl Garter is forever remembered as a sour grapes leader- ask the athletes who put away 4 yrs of their life conditioning-to be at the Olympic Games in Moscow- and then Pres.Carter denied them their gold medals- that's how good the US athletes were at that time. Great Britain hosting the Olympics is going to bankrupt them like what happened to Greece. (it is all the security features/overtime/hyping etc.) Let the Games begin- politicos stay out.P.S. US prrinted Olympic Games Moscow 1980 stamps- collectors item.
Let them come and let them be booed by the crowd.
If the biggest genociders on the planet, the UNITED SNAKES (US/Israel/EU) can bring on cheers, why not the Syrian athlete's that have hurt no one.
why boo them buddy what did they ever do , they should boo us and France and England for supporting the fing ALQUIDA in SYRIA , listening to you all comments if somebody does not agree with you . they are traitors . I think the traitors are the people that want to send money and arms to these thugs in SYRIA . I guess the truth hurts sometimes .
Syria banned from the Olympics? Looks like a 'full court press' from the United Snakes (US/NATO) hoodlums, huh folks. I mean, the US massacres 3.9m in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, then pours 10m gallons of dioxins (Agent Orange) and not a (((peep))) about banning the cold blooded killers (especially the B-52D war criminal pilots that drop a gazillion tons of bombs on these 'victims' of US terrorism) then we murder 1.4m in Iraq and now we're working towards out 1str 300,000 in AF/PAK and still not a (((peep))) from the Olympic hypocrites, huh?).
Yassar AmeriKKKa, you've turned into a literal 'sack-O-@!$%#' and still there are those "ugly' AmeriKKKan's that will go with the 'Nuke 'em' remarks and wish death on people they have never met. People so poor that the dirt huts they live in and the poverty that envelopes would make you cry - if you were there for reasons other than to steal their oil/gas and mineral wealth. Let us pray that these 'monsters' that masqurade as 'statesmen and 'patriots' will soon be pushing up daisies as soon as Pakistan get's pissed off enough to send one of those "Islamic 'Ahhh, finally got your arse' nukes" our way.
Not much of a patriot are ya, I would say you are some foreign national who doesnt belong in the USA
Hey, I just noticed something funny!
Here's what you say at the beginning of the paragraph: "still there are those "ugly' AmeriKKKan's that will go with the 'Nuke 'em' remarks and wish death on people they have never met."
And here's what you say at the end of the paragraph: "Let us pray that these 'monsters' that masqurade as 'statesmen and 'patriots' will soon be pushing up daisies as soon as Pakistan get's pissed off enough to send one of those "Islamic 'Ahhh, finally got your arse' nukes" our way."
So tell me Mr. ugly AmeriKKKan, did you just advocate killing yourself (in addition to a bunch of people you've never met but stereotype as evil)?
Hey, traitor, get the heck out of this country. Syria should be banned from olympics because that's what their innocent athletes want. If Syria is not banned, then all their administrators should be.
Maybe Obama can straighten them ALL out by simply refusing to allow the US Olympic team to attend or compete -- like wussy Jimmy Carter did years ago. That would put Syria in their place -- right on top of the medal stand. What does Syria compete in anyway?
In the year that the 'wussy' president of our did not allow out team to go,
USSR had just invaded Afghanistan. The Olympics were held in Moscow.
His action was commendable. Had we gone, the GOP would have been screaming that
he was soft on Communism!
Or did you conveniently forget that?
AZCowboy, you are certainly free to leave and go to another country you can respect. Seeing as America disgusts you so much, give up your citizenship and leave. No one is stopping you and please, let the door hit you on the way out. These other countries you like so much are no better than the US and certainly not the Arab nations. There are certainly good people there who hate what is happening to their countries but they are not in the majority and majority rules.
Absolutely, hate the country you live in? Then leave and buy a few good history books on your way out.
anyone who supports the Assad regime should be restricted and denied access to anywhere but their own back yard,,, send a message, ITS NOT OK TO BOMB YOUR OWN PEOPLE
Correct
Good point. Of course, this includes China and Russia....
HEY kulafarmer How about if somebody killing your people what should ASSAD do , Haven't seen these innocents rebels with all that heavy guns , Do they look like innocents civilians to you , I know they do for our Media , they show them shooting at the army and they tell they been mascaraed , what a crock .
Meh, leave the Olympics out of this. This affair is complicated enough as it is.
The World should send a message, and NOT let the leaders come to London. The athlete's should be allowed to come. Let the world stand together against this killing
The Olympic games are suppose to be a global, non-political, competition by the world's athletes. That opportunity when all of the dissension can be put aside for the sake of humanity in a world-wide endeavor.
If they politicize this like the Peanut Farmer did, it will not shame Syria as much as it shames us.
When it comes to Syria, it's an Arab problem, let the Arabs settle it. And if the Olympic committee let's the players in fine, screw the management or leaders of Syria.
Does England even have Olympic athletes? It was my understanding that prince phillip was the only athlete the british have. England should ban the Syrian athletes if they pose a threat of wining the game of "football" or cricket. The game of football as played by the English is for the girls to play at in the school yards.
European football (aka soccer for those uneducated in terminology) is a game where you actually use your feet on the ball . It is a brutal sport and the players are tougher than any overpaid, ego inflated, wimpy NFL player in PADS and HELMETS could ever play.
"Lawmakers and Syrian competitors say General Mowaffak Joumaa should not be allowed into Britain because he is a friend of dictator President Bashir Assad"
They did not say ban the athletes. The athletes have to play or fear lethal retaliation directed at their families.
THE Europeans been stealing these small countries wealth for ever who in hell give the right to England ,France or any of them AS---HOLES to tell people what to do and freeze countries money and over throw leaders like they are the Gods of this world , this been going on for years . look at LIBYA SYRIA AND ALL THESE COUNTRIES IN AFRICA . and England still want to rule the Falkland ISLANDS and that's in South America , I DO NOT SEE ANY BODY SAYING ANYTHING . ITS hypocrisy
The day is quickly coming when the IOC will have to pick a neutral nation,to be the permanent home for the games.They have discussed that in the past,but its time to do it now. No longer will other nations have the chance to showcase their nations to the world as is done now,politics is ruining that. We ruined the 1980 games,the 1984 games were ruined as retaliation. When the Olympic Games were started in the Ancient World,all the Greek World competed.Even Cities at war with each other stopped the fighting for the "glory of sports". But it seems today's politicians aren't able to put the young people,that train so hard,before their squabbling. I think they should get it done after the London games,and announce to the world the reasons.The obvious choice is Greece. The Greeks have asked for that anyway.But they would have to guarantee their neutrality.And if they can't,then I'd think somewhere like Monaco,would be good for the Summer Games. And Switzerland as the permanent home for the Winter Games.
The Olympics are supposed to be non political. I disagreed with Pres Carter in 1980 and I disagree with this.