Peace found in sport

Take Iraq's historic football win on Sunday night.
Iraq beat Saudi Arabia 1-0 to win the Asian Cup soccer tournament, a sporting prize of global standing.
Iraq's win makes major political statements.
War between Shiites and Sunnis is not an inevitable feature of life in Iraq.
Iraq's Brazilian coach, Jorvan Vieira, forged a winning team from the Sunni, Shiite and Kurdish populations.
This mob was not fancied to even make the finals.
In the final itself, against three-time Asian Cup winner Saudi Arabia, the Iraqis were the red-hot underdog.
On Sunday, they played the Saudis off the park -- and what drove their success was the passionate spirit oozing from every Iraqi player's skin.
Their skill and earning levels were not as high as their opponents', and Iraq's many problems meant logistical nightmares for the national team.
But when these players of divided backgrounds raised their hands in one giant fist before resuming play in the second half, you could tell this team was unstoppable.
The second major political statement in Iraq's win is that it shows, once again, the immense power of the Iraqi people when they are allowed to speak.
Tragically, dozens of Iraqis were murdered by warmongers while the people were out celebrating in the streets after one of the national team's wins last week.
The Baghdad bombings that marred the street celebrations were an all-too-familiar sight.
Yet what these bombings show is the fear in the heart of the bombers when Iraqis show unity.
This is the tragedy and the hope that has been revealed in Iraq since the toppling of Saddam Hussein.
Only on the rarest of occasions have Iraqis had the opportunity to raise their voices above the din of the country's violence.
Each time those voices have been clear. The Iraqi people believe in the reality of the Iraqi nation.
They also believe in those things that are the opposite of violence, such as expressing their opinions peacefully and sharing the pride that every nation feels in a major sporting achievement.
No, sport is not the opposite of politics.
Sometimes, in fact, it's the only way a people can express a political opinion.