By Benjamin Morgan
July 26th 2008 @ 3:25am
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IOC confirms Beijing Games ban on Iraq
The International Olympic Committee has confirmed a ban on Iraq from competing in the Beijing Games in a major blow to seven Iraqi athletes who had hoped to travel to China, an IOC letter said.
In the letter dated July 23 and addressed to Iraqi Youth and Sports Minister Jassem Jaafar, the IOC said it was [...]
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![Over at Goal.com, my mate John Duerden has a fantastic piece up suggesting Australia and Indonesia combine their World Cup bids to have a shot at either 2018 or 2022.
With the Rio Olympics going to Brazil and the chastened Americans firming as a favourite for 2022 with 2018 inevitably going to Europe, the chances of [...] Jesse Fink: Time for Australia and Indonesia to unite](http://www.theroar.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/socceroos-2018-egypt-blatter-lowy-th.jpg)
![There’s no two ways about this. This is a column I never would have dreamt writing not all that long ago. I’m sure I’m not the first person to admit that I’ve never been a big fan of Nathan Hauritz as a spin-bowling option.
Just as I maintain about Cameron White now, I also used to [...] Brett McKay: Hard to believe, but Hauritz is winning me over](http://www.theroar.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/australias-spin-future-hauritz-th.jpg)
![Pull on those netball dresses, tie up your shoes and strap in, for what can only possibly be another exciting season in the ANZ Championship.
With the first whistle being blown on Saturday, as the Melbourne Vixens take on the West Coast Fever, this season should promise to continue both the interstate and trans – [...] Natalie Medhurst: Netball’s clean image hurts our media coverage](http://www.theroar.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/anz-championship-captains-th.jpg)
![The scoreline of 32 – 19 to the All Blacks against the Wallabies in Toyko did not give justice to how tough this Test was for New Zealand to win. The All Blacks scored two tries to one, admittedly. And the Peter Hynes try was awarded by Mark Lawrence, the South African referee when he [...] Spiro Zavos: Wallabies All Black-ed in a tough Test in Tokyo](http://www.theroar.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/wallabies-miss-chance-th.jpg)
![Billy Murdoch has never received so much publicity. Everyone is now fully aware of the fact that Ricky Ponting joins Murdoch as the only Australian captains to twice lose the Ashes in England. As a batsman Ponting is peerless, but how is history going to assess him as a leader?
Instead of damning him, the usual [...] David Wiseman: Ponting will be remembered as a very poor captain](http://www.theroar.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/ponting-only-current-player-th.jpg)
![I’ve just got back from meeting up with Carl Valeri at his new Serie B club Sassuolo. After a difficult few months late last year, when the president of Grosseto froze him out of the side for refusing to sign a contract extension, things have finally turned around for Valeri.
The Canberra-born midfielder is due to [...] Davidde Corran: An FFA scouting network could be the A-League’s cure](http://www.theroar.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/socceroos-valeri-th.jpg)
![When Australia walked onto the ‘GABBA against Sri Lanka in November 2007, it was the start of a new era. No Warne and no McGrath. All the talk was how this team was going to regularly take 10 wickets. Immediately the critics were hushed as Australia won the match by an innings and 40 runs.
Brett [...] Benjamin Conkey: The best rebuilding cricket team ever](http://www.theroar.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/test-cricket-struggling-fifty50-india-ponting-th.jpg)
![I’ve never read the Book of Revelations in which the signs of the coming apocalypse are detailed, however I’m pretty sure that amongst the plagues of locusts and rivers of blood there was no talk of a Queenslander coaching NSW.
Or in correct parlance, a f***ing Queenslander, and I’m sure none of my northern brethren [...] Steve Kaless: Bennett is no Blue in my book](http://www.theroar.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/bennett-no-blue-th.jpg)
![Bathurst’s importance to the V8 Supercar series is immeasurable. It is the categories’ showpiece event, its chance to reach viewers who ordinarily wouldn’t watch the regular V8 Supercar rounds. And as such, it ranks up there with the Melbourne Cup and the AFL Grand Final.
But where does it fit within Australia’s sporting landscape?
It has the [...] Adrian Musolino: Bathurst is one of Australia’s great sporting events](http://www.theroar.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/bathurst-th.jpg)
![The Melbourne Storm will enter the NRL season as world champions after out muscling the Leeds Rhinos 18-10 at Elland Rd on Sunday, but like nearly every other winning NRL club this weekend, they will be seeing it more as good result in their build up to the 2010 season.
Don’t get me wrong, NRL clubs [...] Steve Kaless: Pre-season wins provide few clues about season proper](http://www.theroar.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/why-do-melbourne-teams-storm-th.jpg)
![For all the success of the NRL’s inaugural All Stars match – a bumper crowd and thrilling match – there’s a flaw in the concept that will blight our nation should it continue into the future. By pitting the best Indigenous players against the best of the rest, the NRL will continue to segregate race [...] Adrian Musolino: Sport should unite race and colour, not segregate](http://www.theroar.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/nrl-all-stars-wendell-sailor-th.jpg)
![The appointment of Kevin Sheedy to the new Western Sydney franchise has most in the AFL world talking. Whether it is a good idea or not, it has definitely generated interest amongst the AFL community.
Sheedy has been a master for years now at what people believe he does best, and that’s coaching. But he [...] Troy Chaplin: Sheedy’s appointment smart, but it’ll take time to work](http://www.theroar.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/sheedy-signing-sydney-th.jpg)



