Iraq Returns to Olympics With a Bang

Even though the Olympics haven't officially started yet, Iraq has returned to the fold of Olympic sports with a huge bang by beating Portugal 4-2 in soccer. As much as I like the Portugese (except for Porto FC, who beat Celtic in the UEFA Cup Final in 2003 by diving all over the place), I couldn't be happier for the Iraqi Olympic Team.

The stories that we heard about the way the team was treated under the leadership of Uday Hussein, son of Saddam Hussein and just as evil as him, made me absolutely sick. Stories of torture for losses abounded. But the impressive thing is that this didn't keep the team from playing. And their determination showed today as the beat the vaunted Portugese.

I can't wait to hear more on this game, all I know right now is that they won handily (a friend of mine was watching the game). But congratulations to the Iraqi soccer team - you've undergone a lot of suffering and now it's time to shine!