Iran = Land of Oppressed, Home of Cowards

I always enjoy the storyline of the Iranian athlete that quits the Olympics before (God Forbid) having to compete against an Israeli athlete:

An Iranian swimmer pulled out of the Olympic Games men's 100m breaststroke heats on Saturday, just minutes before he was due to compete against an Israeli rival.

Mohammad Alirezaei's lane one was empty when the field left the starting blocks while Israel's Tom Beeri, starting in lane seven, finished fourth.

Seems to me, if you're so superior you jump in the pool and kick the Israeli's butt. If you're a coward that's paralyzed by the fear of losing, you don't even get in the pool. But this isn't the first time that Iran's showed cowardice in the shadow of the Olympic torch.

In 2004, Arash Miresmaeili, an Iranian judo world champ, refused to compete against Israel's Ehud Vaks claiming solidarity with the Palestinian movement.

Dude, it's judo. You're a world champ. If you want to represent your cause, then beat the crap out of the Israeli. I think that sends a clear message.

Instead, Miresmaeili's actions played more cowardly than anything else. At least in this kneck of the woods, he didn't really acheive his intended messaging.

I'm a huge proponent of the fields of play serving as a measuring stick of character (For instance, I've got a story about a Belorussian Greco Roman wrestler that kicked my butt up and down the mat in Vestal, NY two weeks ago). And this pattern of ducking out during international competition shows all you need to know about Iran's flawed logic, weak commitment and lack of self confidence.