New Record for Number of Participating Countries in the Summer Olympics

A record number of countries, including Iraq and Afghanistan, have announced their participation in the Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece. The International Olympic Committee states that it has received positive responses from 202 countries invited to participate in the games. The previous record for the number of participating countries in the Olympics was 200, achieved during the Sydney Olympics four years prior. In those games, 199 National Olympic Committees recognized by the International Olympic Committee participated, along with athletes from East Timor, who competed under the Olympic flag. Since the Sydney Olympics in 2000, the International Olympic Committee has reinstated the National Olympic Committee of Afghanistan and recognized East Timor. The National Olympic Committee of Iraq, which was headed by Uday, the son of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, was dissolved following the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, and a newly formed Iraqi Olympic committee was accepted by the International Olympic Committee last month. The last time the Olympics were held in Athens—in 1896—only 14 countries participated in the sporting events.