The gesture of Iraqi men’s soccer team captain Abu Al-Hail Abdul Wahab to Italian captain Andrea Pirlo before the start of the bronze-medal match is one reason why the Olympic Games should be held forever.

The day before the match, Italian journalist Enzo Baldoni was executed by an Islamic extremist group in Iraq. Prior to the start of the game, Abdul Wahab presented his Italian counterpart with a bouquet of flowers to convey his team’s sorrow and solidarity.

Iraqi coach Adnan Hanad Majeed, while noting his country’s current distress, said, “We want to send a message to those who abducted (Baldoni) … we are all brothers, we are all human …” Majeed spent two days sending requests, through the media, that Baldoni be freed and returned to his family, to no avail.

The head of Italian soccer, Dr. Franco Carraro, noted he was grateful for the stand taken by the Iraqi team. “We will never forget that as we never forget that the Iraqi athletes strive to compete, while every day their own die in Iraq,” he said.

Italy won the match 1-0, with neither team really playing its best game, but that’s not the point.

You can revel in the feats of Michael Phelps or Carly Patterson, or the dominance of U.S. women’s softball and basketball. You can chant “U.S.A.!” all day and night. But we urge you to go one better, to recall why the Olympics are even held at all: remember that we should strive to be our best, in fairness and with respect, and that we’re all brothers and sisters, all human, all neighbors – abroad as well as here at home. To act like it is the gold we can all win.