Boxer & Two Greco-Roman Wrestlers Will Compete Alongside 180 Athletes From Seven Countries    COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - The U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) announced today the addition of three Iraqi athletes to the roster of participants for the 2004 Titan Games, June 18-20 in Atlanta, Ga.     Iraqi Greco-Roman wrestlers Ahmed J. Jasim and Ahamad N. Weali and boxer Najah S. Ali will compete alongside 180 athletes from seven countries during the three-day sports festival featuring competition in boxing, fencing, judo, shot put, taekwondo, weightlifting and wrestling.    The participation of three Iraqi athletes at the 2004 Titan Games, Built by Home Depot, is the result of an on-going effort between the USOC, the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, and the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) Solidarity Program. In April 2004, the USOC announced this partnership had provided training opportunities for two Iraqi wrestlers at its Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.    "The U.S. Olympic Committee proud to extend this opportunity for Iraqi athletes to be a part of the 2004 Titan Games," said Jim Scherr, USOC Chief Executive and Chief of Sport Performance. "As a result of this collaborative effort, these athletes will compete against some of the best in the world in their respective sports."    Jasim and Weali will compete in exhibition matches during the Titan Games and will face U.S. opponents that are yet to be determined, but will most likely include the second-place finishers from the recent U.S. Olympic Trials-Wrestling.      Competing in the 60kg weight class, Jasim was 14th at the Olympic qualifier in Uzbekistan and competed in the 2003 World Junior Championships and the 1999 Asian Junior Championships.       Weali competes in the 74kg division and was ninth at the Olympic qualifier in Serbia/Montenegro and 14th in the Uzbekistan Olympic qualifier.  He also finished seventh at the recent Asian Championships in Kazakhstan.    Boxing in the light flyweight division (48kg/106 pounds), Ali will be competing against boxers from the U.S., Mexico and Korea during the Titan Games, Built by Home Depot.  Ali will also be one of five athletes at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens representing the  new National Olympic Committee of Iraq (NOCI).  Ali was unsuccessful during two preliminary Olympic qualifying tournaments, but received one of five "wild card" Olympic berths given by the IOC's tripartite commission on May 11.     "I'm happy to be here in the United States and to begin my training for Athens," said Ali.   "The U.S. is a boxing power and I'm excited to be able to train with some U.S. boxers and to compete against tough boxers from around the world.  I can't say thank you enough for the people who made this happen."    Ali is currently in the United States with his American coach and former boxer, Maurice "Termite" Watkins, who discovered Ali while training Iraqi boxers.  Originally in Iraq working as a pest controller, Watkins, with funding from the Coalition Provisional Authority, began training Iraqi boxers last November.    "We're excited to be in the United States and I'm looking forward to getting Ali some experience against some of the world's best boxers," said Watkins. "I've heard great things about the Titan Games competition and we're happy to have been included.  We're truly grateful to the U.S. Olympic Committee, the Department of State and the IOC for their efforts in making Ali's dreams a reality."    Ali will train with the U.S. Olympic Boxing Team in Marquette, Mich. beginning June 5, where he'll remain for two weeks prior to the Titan Games.    The Titan Games    A property of the U.S. Olympic Committee in partnership with the affiliated National Governing Bodies and hosted by the Atlanta Sports Council, The Titan Games, Built by Home Depot, is a multi-sport competition featuring the Olympic sports of boxing, fencing, judo, shot put, taekwondo, weightlifting and wrestling. The edgy, fast-paced mini-sports festival debuted in 2003 and will be the final competition for more than 180 U.S. and international athletes on their Road to Athens.    The Titan Games -- It's not all the Olympic Sports, Just the Most Painful Ones!