IOC dropped ball on Iraq but picked it back up

We are only days away from the Summer Olympics in Beijing, China, and controversy continues to be a huge part of the build up for the Games.

From the moment the International Olympic Committee chose China to host the event, it seems like conflict began. Obviously, many were upset with the choice because of the country's lousy human rights' record.

There are hundreds of ways to illustrate China's abuses, but the IOC felt the time was right to give the country a world stage to present what it is all about.

I know the cornerstone of the Olympic movement is that the Games are supposed to transcend political ideology, but the choice of China is a dubious one at best.

The IOC recently made another shaky decision when it upheld a ban on the Iraqi Olympic team. Earlier this year, the Iraqi government disbanded the country's National Olympic Committee for a variety of reasons, including a power struggle between Shiites and officials from the Saddam Hussein-era Olympic Committee.

The IOC upheld the ban and criticized the Iraqi government for what it called "serious interference" with a committee that is supposed to be autonomous.

Fortunately, officials resolved the crisis so Iraq will be sending at least some of its team to Beijing.

If this resolution hadn't happened, then it would have been another black eye for the IOC.

The IOC's position that national Olympic committees should be free of governmental interference is commendable, but their punishment of the Iraqi athletes was misguided.

If ever there was a country that needed something to rally around, it is Iraq.

The power of the Olympic Games has been diminished somewhat in recent years because of the end of the Cold War.

However, for small, struggling countries like Iraq, the Olympics remain a powerful force that can unite a country.

An excellent example of this happened during the 2004 Summer Olympics when the Iraqi team received a rousing ovation from an international audience during the opening ceremony.

This was the team's first event after the fall of Hussein, and it was a glorious moment for those athletes and the nation. Remember, Iraqi Olympic athletes were tortured during Hussein's years when they did not perform well at the event.

For that one moment, all Iraqis could savor a brief moment of brotherhood that they likely had not felt in a long time.

Of course, since then, the fighting in Iraq has continued, and there have been few opportunities for citizens there to experience what they felt back in 2004.

It was not that long ago when it was America that needed to be unified and an event in the 1980 Winter Games provided just that opportunity.

At that moment, America wasn't feeling that good about itself. Our country was coming out of a decade that saw the public get splintered by events such as the Vietnam War, the Watergate scandal, and the disastrous Jimmy Carter administration.

America needed a pick me up and got it from a scrappy group of amateur hockey players. Going into those Olympics, nobody thought the American team had a chance to earn a medal much less win the gold.

However, that is exactly what happened. The "Miracle on Ice" unified Americans from all economic and ethnic backgrounds.

Iraq needs a moment like this now. Fortunately, the IOC changed its mind.