During the Olympic Games which ended last month in Atlanta, a number of athletes defected and sought asylum status. From Cuba, two boxers sought asylum on the grounds that they were threatened with removal from the boxing team if they did not join the Communist Party. Three Cuban baseball players also defected.
An Iraqi weight lifter, Raed Ahmed, also defected stating that he witnessed atrocities committed in Iraq and fears for the safety of his family. An Afghan boxer and his coach were both granted refugee status in Canada. The athlete claims to have been barred from competing by his home country after he was accused of being a Communist.
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