The Iraq Olympic Committee have pulled the team from the event, according to a source in Baghdad, and the decision will leave officials needing to address an imbalance in the opening phase of the tournament, Reuters reported. 

Last week the Asian Football Confederation conducted a redraw of the competition's group stage to add Palestine and the United Arab Emirates after the pair had been left off the original entry list.

That meant two of the six groups went from four teams to five, but Iraq's withdrawal now means one group - containing China, Timor Leste and Syria - will feature just three countries.

A source at the Iraq Football Association had initially denied reports the team would be removed from the competition and that the squad's preparations were being finalised following the completion of a training camp in the northern city of Erbil.

Squads at the Asian Games are made up of players aged 23 or under with coaches permitted to include three overage players.

The tournament is due to be staged in four cities in Indonesia and kick-off on August 10 - eight days before the official Opening Ceremony of the Games - and finish with the final on September 1 at the Pakansari Stadium in Cibinong. 

Iraq's withdrawal follows allegations of a cheating row involving the country's under-16 team. 

Several of the 23 players for a West Asia Football Federation tournament starting today were found to be overage, said the Iraq Football Association (IFA), which immediately sacked the squad officials.

The scandal emerged when officials at the airport in Baghdad confiscated nine passports after suspicions were raised over the dates of birth of the players. 

Earlier this year, 18 players were suspended by the IFA after also having tried to pass off as younger than their true age by tampering with their identity papers.

Iraq's best performance in the Asian Games came at New Delhi 1982 when they won the gold medal.

Four years ago at Incheon they won the bronze medal after beating Thailand 1-0 in the third-place play-off. 

The withdrawal of Iraq's footballers follows a decision by The Philippines not to send the nation's basketball team to Jakarta in the aftermath of their on-court brawl with Australia during a recent World Cup qualifier.