Sorry for not posting this earlier. We received it Thursday from Ricky Simms, Shaheen's agent:
World 3000mSC record holder Saif Shaheen (QAT) has decided that he will not be ready for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing due to a series of injuries over the past year. The 2003 & 2005 World Champion missed all of last season due to knee and Achilles tendon injuries and although he has made great progress over the past 3 months does not feel that he is well enough prepared to put two races together in three days in Beijing. He sets himself very high standards and would not be satisfied with anything other than the gold medal.
He ran the 5000m in Belgrade and the 2 miles in Eugene earlier this year off base fitness but was forced to drop out of the 3000mSC in Athens when he felt a pain in his knee going over the water jump on the 4th lap. Fortunately the knee pain was not serious and he is now back in full training. However having missed so much over the past year he wants to take things slowly in an attempt to be at full fitness for 2009 and beyond. He has not yet decided if he will run some track races in September but may consider the 5th Avenue mile or the 3km in the Great North Run.