Up to 120 international leaders are expected to attend the Olympic games, making it the largest such gathering in diplomatic history, according to the Foreign Office. But, for a select group, the opportunity to enjoy the synchronised swimming has been kiboshed by the fact that they are a "listed natural person" facing "restrictive measures", according to the EU. In other words, they are barred from the UK:
Robert Mugabe Zimbabwe's president – passport number AD001095 – is forbidden to enter the EU owing to his responsibilty for "activities that seriously undermine democracy, respect for human rights and the rule of law", according to the official ruling.
General Antonio Injai The five military officers, including Injai, who led the coup in Guinea-Bissau earlier this year, have all recently been placed on the UN's own travel ban list, which the EU recognises.
Alexander Lukashenko The Belarusian president, described as the "last dictator in Europe" for his woeful human rights record, tops the EU's blacklist for the former Soviet state, which also includes the nation's minister of information and the "deputy head in charge of media and ideology".
Bashar al-Assad Syria's president is banned from travelling to the EU because he's the "person authorising and supervising the crackdown on demonstrators", according to the official ruling. However, even though the EU has also banned his wife Asma, she could, in theory, still attend the Olympics because she is a British passport holder and the EU has confirmed it "would not oblige the UK to deny her entry". This week it was also reported that the head of Syria's national Olympic committee is likely to be excluded.
Likely no-shows
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Iran's president is not on the travel ban lists, but announced in May that, despite wanting to support his nation's "dear youth" in London, he will not attend the games because the UK has a "problem with my presence". Iran's state media speculated that he did not wish to submit to the fingerprinting required to obtain a British visa.
Vladimir Putin Diplomatic sources indicated last month that the Russian president will snub the games due to his "long list of grievances" with the UK. He's thought to be sending his prime minister, Dmitry Medvedev.
