Ariel Zeevi took the bronze. On August 19, 2004, this Israeli judoka won bronze. On the 32nd anniversary of the massacre at the Munich Olympics, this 27-year old athlete stood on a dais and received an olive wreath on his head and a medal around his neck. And some of the world watched.

That he won his medal on the anniversary of the Black September Movement's massacre of 11 Israeli athletes is significant. But he also won his medal only a few days after a controversy in which an Iranian champion would not compete against one of his teammates. As I've posted here before, on the day of the Opening Ceremony, a story began to circulate that the flag bearer for Iran, judo world champion Arash Miresmaeili, declared that he would withdraw from competition because his first match pitted him against Israeli Ahud Vaks. Iran does not recognize the state of Israel, and holds a policy that forbids its athletes from engaging in athletic competition against Israelis. The Olympics, we continually chant, are above politics, beyond politics, and transcend politics. But we all know the rules: athletes enter according to national identity, wear colors that subscribe to a flag, and migrate towards sports that feed national traditions - Greeks lift weights, Kenyans run, Australians swim, and Koreans can shoot arrows like nobody's business. These are the assumptions we make. But one of the assumptions that make the Olympics work is that if you come to the Games, you come to compete. Not to choose whom you compete against.

Those of us here in Athens feel secure. We are surrounded by gates, fences, guards, military, and people who check the cards that we hang around our necks at all hours identifying us by country, occupation, and allowed whereabouts. We walk through metal detectors several times a day. We allow our bags to be searched. We cooperate with all of it, even though it means getting to work a little early, and getting out of bed a little earlier. We do it to be safe - because we want to be here and we want it to be safe. And while I cannot get used to the feeling of being surrounded by uniformed folks with fingers on triggers - and as an American, I should, because if we have learned anything from Michael Moore, it is that we are a gun culture - I appreciate the effort.

But I hope that we guard ourselves from other things, too. International judo officials have decided not to penalize Miresmaeili, who ended up not competing in these Games because he showed up for his bout unusually - and suspiciously - overweight. He was a gold medal favorite who will go home without the gold, but his country says it will pay him for his efforts.

The Olympics, perhaps above all, are a time when we can think, if just for a fortnight, about who we are, what we do, how we perceive others, and how they perceive us. Those of us here are watching the world like a hawk. And maybe someday, we can watch like a dove.