Land of the Free

The raw human emotion that has emerged throughout the first days of competition at the Beijing Olympics has been fascinating to watch. There are so many stories about overcoming adversity and triumphant achievements, but there have also been stories about disappointment and tragedy. For every winner, there are dozens of disappointed athletes going home without the gold.

From Michael Phelps' amazing winning streak to disappointment for the ladies of the U.S. gymnastics team, I've wanted to laugh, cry, jump around and hug the athletes on my T.V. screen every night. And it's only day five of competition.

One of the coolest stories I've heard so far involves Lopez Lomong, the Sudan native elected to carry the American flag in the Opening Ceremonies. Lomong has only been a U.S. citizen for 13 months. He was separated from his parents at age 6, escaped to a refugee camp in Kenya and was brought to the U.S. in 2001 as part of a program to relocated lost children from Sudan.

At age 23, he's a 1,500-meter track runner representing the United States in the Olympics. That's quite a turn-around. He even has his own website. When asked about the honor, Lamong was more excited to be part of the democratic process involved in electing a flagbearer than the experience itself.

The U.S. athletes that elected a native of Sudan to carry the American flag in Beijing, China made quite a statement. While I don't believe the Olympics should be used as a political forum, it's difficult to ignore the host country's investment in Sudan's oil industry, despite the humanitarian crisis in Darfur. China is also one of Sudan's largest arms suppliers, which some say makes them an enabler to genocide. Read up on your China-Sudan news here.

I think the U.S. athletes found a respectful way to express their discontent with China's handling of the situation in Darfur, while still getting their message across loud and clear. I disagree with activists that called for a boycott of the so-called "Genocide Olympics." The athletes that have worked so hard to earn a spot on their country's Olympic team shouldn't suffer because of the Chinese government's decisions. And the Chinese people shouldn't be blamed for poor leadership.

As I've said before, don't judge a country's people by its government. Kudos the Team U.S.A. for expressing their opinions and maintaining the integrity of the Games.