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Olympics offer a welcome break

Aug-13-2004 » Filed Under: Iraq News

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By Mike Lopresti

PATRAS, Greece — The soccer team from Iraq had just scored the go-ahead goal, and in section 108, they were bouncing up and down to celebrate.

"I must call my brother," said Muhammad Bilal, reaching for his cell phone. "He is watching in Iraq." [...]

In a 2,500-year-old town on the shore of Patraikos Gulf, Iraq spoke to the world with a game. These were the Olympics. And Iraq was not only here, but beating Portugal 4-2. A victory that meant as much to the winners as any medal will mean to anyone over the next 17 days.

"Now everybody in Iraq forgets their problems," coach Adnan Hamad said. "Everybody in Iraq stayed up tonight to watch.

"We try to make happiness for our people. That is very, very important for all our players."

His players are young men caught in the middle of a maelstrom. They had only two pre-Olympic practices back home because of the war, and several players didn't get to those. Some used bodyguards to make it. They needed protection from the Australian Air Force to leave Baghdad for the Olympics, and now live a dream while their families try to survive among the bullets and bombs and shells. They are not here in a vacuum. They know more people died Thursday in Iraq.

"No one is happy now in Iraq," Hamad said. "Everyone is afraid. You are afraid when you are in the street, you are afraid when your children walk to school."

And yet they did not play alone Thursday night. The fans came by the thousands, wearing Iraqi shirts, draped in Iraqi flags, flying Iraqi signs from their cars driving down the coastal highway.


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