Commonwealth Games: Door still open for Zimbabwe

Athletes from Zimbabwe are still eligible to compete in this summer's Commonwealth Games, despite the country's suspension from taking part in any Commonwealth meetings.

Mike Hooper, the chief executive of the Commonwealth Games Federation, said yesterday that Zimbabwe was still invited to compete in the Games, which start in Manchester on 25 July. "They are not suspended from the Commonwealth, but from the council of the Commonwealth," Hooper said. "The situation doesn't affect their participation."

Hooper said 54 nations and 18 territories had been invited and that all were likely to participate.

On Tuesday, a Commonwealth committee made up of the leaders of Nigeria, South Africa and Australia suspended Zimbabwe from Commonwealth meetings for a year after President Robert Mugabe's controversial win in elections last week.

Zimbabwe will also be represented at this weekend's IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Dublin.

Meanwhile, Uganda are struggling to obtain funding for the trip to Ireland. With their athletes still at their training camp, the Uganda Athletics general secretary, Patrick Okanya, said: "We are yet to get a single coin for the trip."