23 May 2004	Sunday	03 Rabi-us-Saani 1425

ATHENS, Greece May 22: After an eight year absence from the Olympics, an Afghan team of five athletes- including the country's first women participants - arrived in Greece Saturday to train for the Aug. 13-29 Athens Games.

Dressed in their uniforms and carrying the flags of Afghanistan and the Athens Olympics, the team toured Athens before heading for the eastern Aegean Sea island of Lesvos, where they will train until early July. They will then travel to the northern port city of Thessaloniki, where they will stay until the games.

"On behalf of all the athletes I want to thank the Greek Foreign Ministry and Athens organizers for making such an opportunity for the Afghan Olympic team to come to Athens and share the Olympic Games," said Sayed Mohmood Zia, vice president of the Afghan National Olympic Committee. "We appreciate the two-and-a-half months period to get ready for the games."

Afghanistan was banned from the 2000 Sydney Olympics because the Taliban regime outlawed women from sports. The country participated in the 1996 Atlanta Games, but years of war robbed its athletes of most training facilities. Most of the best coaches fled during the conflict and never returned.

"I want to welcome you with great pleasure as you are the first team that arrived for the Olympic Games," said Paraskevi Kyriakopoulou, a Greek Foreign Ministry representative.

The Afghan team, which includes a male runner, wrestler and boxer, also includes two women - one who will compete in running events and the other in judo.

Olympic officials handed Afghanistan five wild cards so they could compete in Athens.-AP