KUWAIT, Dec 30 Reuters - Kuwaiti and Iraqi boxers putaside years of tension between their countries tosupport the Iraqi team’s effort to qualify for nextyear’s Olympic games in Athens.
The Iraqi squad started training in Kuwait in thefirst visit to the Gulf Arab state by an Iraqi sportsteam since Baghdad’s 1990 invasion of its oil-rich smallneighbour.
Iraq is back...I believe in them and this country(Iraq) believes in them,'' Iraq's coach, AmericanMaurice Termite’’ Watkins said.
The 11-member team will train in Kuwait for three dayson its way to a qualifying tournament in the Philippinesin mid-January.
This is our way of expressing support for the newIraq,'' said Sheikh Fahd Jaber al-Sabah, who headsKuwait's boxing federation. Team member Osama Jabbar expressed confidence aboutqualifying. I’m 19 and I’ve been boxing for seven years, butthis time it’s different. We’re going to make it, Godwilling,’’ he said.
Iraq will attend the Athens Games despite thesuspension of its tarnished Olympic Committee, led bySaddam Hussein’s son Uday until the former dictator’sfall in April.
It hopes to compete in soccer, swimming, athletics,wrestling, weightlifting, judo and taekwondo.
Even if its athletes fail to qualify, theInternational Olympic Committee has the discretion toinvite them to take part in events.
Before Saddam’s overthrow, Kuwait had shunned sportcontacts with its former occupier and often boycottedArab sporting events in which Iraq took part.