Once a strong sporting nation, Iraq is in a shambles

She comes from a country where shoot-outs and bombing have become part of everyday life. It’s not easy being a sportsperson in Iraq anymore, especially for a woman.

At the archery centre here, everyone is practicing in their respective team, except for sixteen-year old Rand Almashadani. Reason: She is the only one representing the country.

Lack of proper representation from the Middle East nation is not difficult to understand. The Olympic sports movement in Iraq is in total disarray. Few sports that are alive are mainly through individual initiatives.

Rand is lucky to be here as her training is being overseen by her father, who happens to be the president of the Iraqi Archery Federation.

When almost your entire Olympic committee is massacred, the entire set-up will naturally crash. That is what happened with Iraq in 2006 when 25 of its members lost their lives, reveals Rand’s father Saad Alashadani in a chat with DNA. “The president of the Iraqi Olympic Association (IOA), the secretary general, president of the handball association, volleyball federation and many members of the IOA, were herded and gunned down together,” Alashadani said.

“Our shooting champion Hassan Bahria, who finished sixth at the Atlanta Olympics has been missing since. He was also an IOA member.  They say he is not killed, but we don’t know? It’s been four years since he was last seen. If he is alive where is he?

“I was also in that group as they came in 18 armed cars. Who were these men? We don’t know. Whether they were from the US army or terrorists? I was made to kneel down with a gun pointed at my head and threatened if I moved or uttered a word, I would be dead. Somehow I escaped. I fled from Iraq with my family and lived in Egypt for the next two years,” said Alashadani.

As for the current situation for sports, Alashadani said: “The situation is not good. Security is a big problem. There are no training facilities in Baghdad, may be one football field in Baghdad. In archery, we have one field in the North of Iraq. Now, money is okay, but there are no training venues and no security.

“You can pursue indoor sports, like tennis, weightlifting, but you can’t train in an open field. Anytime anyone can come and shoot you. Everyone’s scared.

“The situation is very dangerous in Baghdad. My daughter trains in Dour, north of Baghdad. I take her to the archery field alone and have to be there till she is finished. From the archery field she is brought home straight. The women athlete’s face more problem. They can’t run on the streets. Earlier, they could, now it’s different.”

On a positive note, there is money available to hire good foreign coaches feels Alashadani. “We can hire the best of coaches. Our archery coach is from India, Lokesh Chand, and we give him a handsome package.”