Olympics rejects Iraq’s request to move Israeli flag at Lyon Stadium

LYON, France — The head of Iraq’s delegation says Olympic chiefs have rejected their request not to display Israel’s flag next to Iraq’s during the Paris Games.

Iraq’s men’s soccer team beat Ukraine 2-1 on Wednesday in Lyon and lost 3-1 to Argentina today.

“When we arrived at Lyon Stadium (Wednesday), we found the Iraqi flag displayed next to the Israeli flag,” despite Israel’s team not having any matches in Lyon, Herda Raouf tells AFP.

Raouf, whose country does not recognize Israel and supports the Palestinian cause, adds that his delegation had asked a representative of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) “to relocate or remove the Israeli flag,” but their wish was denied.

The committee’s representative argued, according to Raouf, that the “flags of all participating countries in the men’s and women’s [soccer] games needed to be displayed in alphabetical order.”

Raouf adds that his delegation sent a formal protest by email to the IOC with the same demand before the game with Argentina, but the request was once again rejected.