Syria could send eight athletes to the 2012 Olympics, but IOC chief Jacques Rogge warned Wednesday that if those competitors are implicated in war crimes, they will be banned from entering London.
Rogge said that between six and eight Syrians "have the potential" to qualify for the Games.
But he added that the International Olympic Committee was "working with the United Nations" to verify lists of those inside Syria who are wanted on charges of war crimes.
"If an athlete is found on one of these lists, he will not enter the United Kingdom," Rogge told a press conference after the IOC executive committee meeting.
Despite the ongoing unrest, the Syrian National Olympic Committee has not been punished by the IOC.
But if Syrians take part in the London Olympics, they probably will march under the Olympic flag rather than their country's flag.
