Raed Ahmed
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality |  Iraq |
| Born | 5 June 1967[1] |
| Weight | 98 kg (216 lb)[1] |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Weightlifting |
Raed Ahmed (born 5 June 1967) is an Iraqi weightlifter. He represented Iraq at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, where he was the flagbearer during the opening ceremony. Ahmed defected to the United States after his event was over.
Early life
Ahmed was born in Basra, Iraq.[2] He attended college and has a degree. He lived in southern Iraq prior to the Olympics.[3]
1996 Olympics
As the flagbearer for Iraq at the opening ceremony in Atlanta, Ahmed was forbidden from looking at U.S. President Bill Clinton[2] during the Parade of Nations on 19 July 1996.[4] He disobeyed these orders, noticing that Clinton was clapping for them; Ahmed stated that this made him finalise his decision to defect.[5][2] In his event, he finished in 23rd place,[5] which was third from the bottom.[2]
Ahmed fled from the Olympic Village, which was located at Georgia Tech, while his minders were preparing for a visit to the zoo.[5][6] Prior to his escape, he had arranged to meet a student at the university who had facilitated his getaway.[5] He was brought to Decatur and subsequently met with agents from the Immigration and Naturalization Service to claim asylum.[6]
In a subsequent press conference at Emory University, Ahmed stated that he would be executed if he returned to Iraq.[6] Ahmed was called a "candle burning for Iraq" by a Kuwaiti journalist recognizing his "act of sacrifice".[3] Reflecting on his role as the flagbearer, he said that the flag is the "flag of the people, not the government."[3] He stated that if the asylum application were approved, he would continue weightlifting and bring his wife to the United States.[6]
Life after the Olympics
As of 2021, Ahmed lives in Dearborn, Michigan, saying that "Dearborn is like Baghdad" due to the significant Iraqi population following the Iraq War. He has five children.[2]
References
- ^ a b Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Raed Ahmed Olympic Results". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
- ^ a b c d e Wright, George (8 July 2021). "The daring escape sparked by one forbidden glance". BBC Sport. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
- ^ a b c Kindred, Dave (2 August 1996). "Defector rejecting Saddam, not Iraq". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved 1 October 2021.
- ^ "Back in the USA". The Arizona Republic and Phoenix Gazette. 20 July 1996. Retrieved 1 October 2021.
- ^ a b c d Franklin, Tim (2 August 1996). "Tyranny prompts defection". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 1 October 2021.
- ^ a b c d "Iraqi says life rides on defection attempt". The Palm Beach Post. 2 August 1996. Retrieved 1 October 2021.