[4] Uday was known for torturing athletes after failure and Raed repeatedly attempted to lower his expectations, claiming with the help of physicians that he was injured.

[5] While he had considered defection at the 1995 World Weightlifting Championships,[2] held in Guangzhou, China,[6] he thought he would be forcibly repatriated if he attempted to do so.

[2] As the flagbearer for Iraq at the opening ceremony in Atlanta, Raed was forbidden from looking at U.S. President Bill Clinton[2] during the Parade of Nations on 19 July 1996.

[2] At the end of July,[α][β] Raed fled from the Olympic Village, which was located at Georgia Tech, while his minders were preparing for a visit to Zoo Atlanta.

[8] Following his defection, his wife was ordered to divorce him,[5] his mother was fired and family was detained by the government[2] for two weeks[5] and were ostracised upon their release.