UK To Ban Dictators From Olympics

The Daily Telegraph reports:

Ministers have taken advice on how to prevent Colonel Gaddafi and Robert Mugabe from attending the 2012 Olympics in London after organisers gave Libya and Zimbabwe hundreds of tickets, The Daily Telegraph can disclose.

Government figures were alarmed to discover that the London organising committee had been forced to allocate hundreds of tickets to Libya and Zimbabwe despite international condemnation of human rights abuses in both countries.

They sought advice on how to prevent the two dictators from seeking to attend the games over fears that a major diplomatic crisis could ensue.

But sources said that officials had reassured ministers that, although the are eligible to attend under Olympic rules, the two men will be unable to travel to London because they are subject to international travel bans.

The Daily Telegraph disclosed last night that Colonel Gaddafi's eldest son has been officially allocated hundreds of Olympic tickets to the 2012 London gamese.

The Libyan regime has successfully requested close to 1,000 tickets to events at the London Olympics and the country’s attendance at the Games is being co-ordinated by the Gaddafi family.