LONDON — The International Olympic Committee has invited Afghanistan's Taliban rulers to send two observers to the Sydney Games but has rejected appeals for Afghan athletes to be allowed to compete.
The IOC suspended Afghanistan's national Olympic committee in October 1999, saying it could no longer function under the hard-line Taliban regime in Kabul.
The Taliban-run committee does not meet IOC requirements for recognition. Among other things, the Taliban bar women from competing in sports.
The Taliban have been lobbying to overturn the suspension and clear the way for its athletes to compete in the Sydney Games.
"Athletes from Afghanistan will unfortunately not be able to participate in the Games until the Taliban government has recognition of the international community," IOC spokesman Franklin Servan-Schreiber said.
"The Afghan athletes are not coming; there is no national Olympic committee."
Servan-Schreiber said the IOC was offering "technical and material" sports assistance to Afghanistan and inviting two Taliban representatives to Sydney — at their own expense — to observe the games. The IOC will arrange accreditation for the two officials.
"We are not accepting Afghanistan in an official capacity, we're just inviting two representatives to come to the games and see for themselves what the games are about," he said.
The Taliban took over Kabul in September 1996. They control 90 percent of the country and are battling an opposition alliance in a bid to capture the remaining parts of Afghanistan. Under the Taliban, Afghan sportsmen are forbidden to wear shorts and are required to grow beards.
The United Nations regards the ousted government of president Burhanuddin Rabbani as Afghanistan's legitimate government. It does not recognize the Taliban.
Afghan officials say the country has competed at every Summer Olympics since 1936, and Taliban officials say Afghan athletes have been training in wrestling, boxing, soccer and track and field.