June 18, 2007

The remains of 13 members of an Iraqi taekwondo team kidnapped last
year have been found in western Iraq. The team had been driving to a
training camp in neighboring Jordan in May 2006, when their convoy was
stopped and all 15 athletes abducted along a road between the cities
of Fallujah and Ramadi, in Anbar province.

"We join the victims' families and civilized people everywhere in
mourning the deaths of the Iraqi taekwondo athletes," says USAT CEO
David Askinas. "The targeting of athletes, coaches, sports
administrators and all innocent people by terrorists is one of the
truly abhorrent tactics of this war. I am reminded of an Elvis
Costello song from the 80s that included the lyrics, 'What's so funny
about peace, love and understanding?' The world needs a lot more of
all those things right now."