Olympics: Iraq's squad arrives in Athens

Iraq's squad brought the hopes of their violence-racked country to Athens yesterday and were no longer fearful that failure could end in torture as it did under Saddam Hussein.

They arrived to tight security, smiling and waving in smart green blazers and light trousers.

Officials had blocked off the road in front of the airport before their arrival.

"The team is happy to be here, it's a long trip. We hope we can do well. For everyone, it's an honour," delegation leader Tiras Odisho said.

For nearly two decades the country's Olympic committee was headed by Saddam's son Uday, who regularly tortured and imprisoned athletes when they did not perform to his standards.

"Not having Uday around, being able to compete freely and without fear, that is a joy in itself," said Raed Abbas, a baker and taekwondo champion who is rated Iraq's best medal hope.

Uday and his brother Qusay were killed by United States soldiers in July last year, several months after Saddam was toppled from power by American-led forces.

The Olympic dream burns fiercely for the 48-member squad, who were flown out of Baghdad by the Australian Air Force.

"This is everything I dreamed of - to represent my homeland, to compete for Iraq," Abbas said before leaving Iraq. "I am not nervous, I am confident."

Besides Abbas, the squad include the national soccer team, a boxer, a swimmer, two runners, a weightlifter and a judoka.

The ever-present threat of guerrilla attacks at home prompted many of the Iraqi athletes to train outside the country.

Iraq's Olympic chief Ahmed al-Samarrai survived an assassination attempt last month when attackers threw grenades at his car.

The country's German soccer coach, Bernd Stange, quit shortly before the Asian Cup started last month, saying he no longer felt safe.