Iranian judo player boycotts Israeli athlete

Well... didn't we see this coming? Despite the lofty "ideals" of "universal brotherhood", "fair play" and "sportsmanship beyond politics and religion", the Athens Olympics has already fallen prey to the divisions that have always been there.

On the first day, Iranian world champion Arash Miresmaili decided not play his Israeli opponent in the first round, supposedly to express solidarity with the Palestinians. When will we ever learn? Instead, this move is going to discredit Iran and the athlete. Ideally, Miresmaili would have fought fairly and defeated the Israeli and then dedicated his victory to the Palestinians. But then... Jacques Rogue must be cringing!