Kearns » Phil Brojaka arrived in Utah five days ago eager to fulfill his dream of becoming the first speedskater from Great Britain to reach the Olympics in 20 years.

That's when he noticed his skates were missing.

Someone had walked off from the baggage carousel at Salt Lake City International Airport with his suitcase, which contained everything Brojaka needed to race at the World Cup event at the Utah Olympic Oval this weekend -- his last chance to qualify for the 2010 Vancouver Games in February.

"Basically, I thought, 'That's it. Olympic dream's over,' " he said.

Turns out, the 24-year-old still will get his chance in the 1,000 meters Sunday, but only after he endured an agonizing week during which he was unable to train while his coach and local host family enlisted police, the FBI and even a congressman in a desperate search to reclaim his equipment.

"It's been horrible," he said.

It all started when Brojaka realized he picked up the wrong bag at the airport. He returned it to airport officials, figuring the person who had claimed his bag would do the same. Two days later, that hadn't happened, so he called police.

"It's probably been stolen," he was told. "All the airport staff was saying that. The police were saying that."

His local host, Richard Conder, of West Jordan, believed the police weren't helping enough, so he contacted Rep. Jason Chaffetz.

That resulted in a review of the airport security tapes, which Conder and coach Bob Fenn said showed a man apparently acquainted with a race official from the Netherlands take the bag -- keeping it even after checking its name tags.

Fenn suspects subterfuge, even though Brojaka is far from a gold-medal contender.

"There's a lot at stake here," he said. "Phil is in with the unranked skaters. And if you take a look, I think there's one or two Dutch skaters there. So by eliminating Phil, it makes it easier for the next guy. ... That's my theory."

Brojaka isn't so sure.

He called the possibility only "50-50," but also wondered why someone would keep the wrong bag for so long.

The mystery dragged on until Fenn mentioned at a meeting of coaches and officials the night before the first race Friday that the FBI was getting involved in the search. That's when he said Dutch official Arend Tolner, who could not be reached for comment, quickly acknowledged he had the bag.

"All [of a] sudden, this bag is appearing," Fenn said.

But Brojaka already had lost days of valuable training, and nearly his mind.

"My preparation for this has been awful," he said. "It's like I've just come off summer training and then stepping on the ice. That's what it feels like."

And because Brojaka had not entered, presuming he would not have the equipment to compete, he was not allowed to race the 500 meters Friday -- even after an appeal to race officials, who believed Brojaka should have entered anyway, then withdrawn if necessary.

"I'm upset with it," said coach Derek Parra, of the United States. "I don't think it's fair. It's not the Olympic spirit."

While Brojaka watched the race go on without him, agents from the FBI quietly canvassed the Oval in search of the man seen taking the bag on the security tapes, but apparently found nothing. "No federal crimes were committed," according to Debbie Dujanovic Bertram, a spokeswoman for the FBI's Salt Lake City office.

At least Brojaka will be able to race a 500 today in preparation for his make-or-break 1,000 on Sunday.

To reach Vancouver, he needs to beat the Olympic qualifying standard of 1 minute and 11 seconds and finish in the top 40 of the overall standings. His best time this season is 0.3 seconds short of the standard, but his best time ever is 0.3 faster -- set last year on the legendary ice at the Oval.

So he still has hope, even after all he's been through.

"I'm still trying to keep my confidence," Brojaka said. "It has been so mentally hard. It's been the worst week of my life. ... I'm going to try my best, and that's all I can do."