IOC provisionally suspend Iraqi National Committee

ATHENS (Reuters) - The International Olympic Committee (IOC) said on Wednesday it had provisionally suspended the Iraqi National Olympic Committee because of government interference.

"The (IOC) executive board decided today to provisionally suspend the Iraqi National Olympic Committee as a consequence of the on-going political interference by the government within the sports movement in Iraq," the IOC said in a statement.

"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."

The Iraqi government had said the committee was illegitimate because it lacked a quorum and had failed to hold new elections.

The IOC said it would invite government authorities for talks to find a solution. It was not immediately clear when the discussions would be held and how the Iraqi team for the Beijing Games would be affected by the decision.