Hey, That’s My Name

4,144

Data courtesy of the Washington Post.

4,136

Data courtesy of the Washington Post.

It’s a small thing, but this story makes me happy. We get so little good news from Iraq and the news last week that the Iraqi athletes were not going to get to compete at the Olympics because their government was all effed up was just disappointing. I mean, who would have thought that the government of a country being occupied by a foreign army might not work so well? Thankfully, Dana Hussein and Haider Nasir will be allowed to compete in their track and field events and fly their country’s flag in Beijing next month. I know I’ll be a little misty-eyed when seeing them at the opening ceremonies.

Two Iraqi athletes will be allowed to participate in the Beijing Olympics after a last-minute pledge by the Iraqi government Tuesday not to interfere politically in the country’s Olympic movement.

The agreement reversed a decision last week by the International Olympic Committee to ban Iraq from competing because of allegations that Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki had compromised the independence of the national Olympic committee. The government dissolved the panel in May and replaced it with a new group headed by a cabinet minister.

[From 2 Iraqi Athletes Set for Beijing After IOC Lifts Ban - washingtonpost.com]