© 2024 Texas Public Radio
Real. Reliable. Texas Public Radio.
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Iraqi Olympians Eager to Let Games Begin

The Iraqi Olympic team posted banners on a table during a news conference Monday.
Howard Berkes, NPR
The Iraqi Olympic team posted banners on a table during a news conference Monday.

Iraq is fielding its first Olympic team since the ouster of Saddam Hussein. Iraqi athletes spoke in Athens of their excitement about competing in the Summer Games. Their 29 athletes include a soccer unit, a swimmer and two runners, among others.

But the Iraqi team is small, and its participation is expected to have more symbolic than athletic significance. NPR's Howard Berkes reports.

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Howard Berkes is a correspondent for the NPR Investigations Unit.