The International Olympic Committee has banned Iraq’s seven-member team from next month’s Summer Games in Beijing. Olympic officials say the Iraqi government broke the rules when it disbanded its Olympic Committee earlier this year. Iraq’s Hussein al-Amidi criticized the Olympic decision.

Hussein al-Amidi: “We consider this day as a black day in the history of Iraqi sport. It is a black day, as it terminates all the aspirations of the Iraqi athletes and their hopes to achieve personal records, Iraqi records and records for their national unions. All these hopes have come to an end this day, because of this decision, which is done, not by Iraqi hands, but by foreign hands.”