If the Athletes’ Village in Torino, Italy, were a replica of the world, the Iranian and Israeli athletes would have pelted each other with icy snowballs in a disagreement over their living quarters.

The American athletes would have disapproved of the Iraqi athletes’ training systems, and would have found it necessary to boldly tell them so, but would have tried to befriend the athletes themselves. Indian and Pakistani athletes would have fought over fourth place, an essentially valueless possession, but both would hace been trying to prove a point nonetheless. English and Irish athletes would have taken part in an infuriated battle regarding the edition of the Bible that was provided for the athletes in their quarters, and countless other nations would be unhappy with one another.

Oddly enough, none of this has been featured in the press. While it is possible that the ordinarily reliable news sources are failing to investigate these occurrences, it is safe to conclude that none of the athletes have in fact engaged in any of these ludicrous altercations. So why are their countries?

In a world that is no stranger to intolerance and violence among nations, I find it truly remarkable that an event such as the Olympics is all that it takes to unite the world. At the Gunn/Paly basketball game on Feb. 10, peace was hardly the theme of the event as the cross-town rivals engaged in a number of offensive cheers, and wrote equally demeaning posters. Perhaps most degrading was Gunn’s strategic placing of several brochures on unplanned pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases under the seats set aside for Paly fans.

However, as Paly varsity basketball player Jeremy Lin helped a Gunn player to his feet after a chase for possession of the ball had knocked him to the ground, I realized that harmony is not at an entire loss. Superstar athletes, such as all of those competing in the Olympics, have successfully earned themselves the right to be cocky. So why is it that the big-shot athletes are not nearly as egomaniacal as their respective countries?

When a Russian judge broke Olympic code and judged a figure skating competition unfairly, the figure skating pairs quickly solved the situation by accepting co-gold medals. Why can’t India and Pakistan then settle over Kashmir?

Perhaps the answer lies in sportsmanship. Every sport teaches its athletes from an early age the importance of sportsmanlike conduct, including graceful winning and losing and not exerting unnecessary violence or force. Imprinted upon their minds from such an early age, the Olympic, and even Palo Alto athletes have learned that it is important to be courteous to their opponent. If only the rest of the nation could be taught similar values.

Although it is often assumed that such focus on athletic ability hampers the intellectual ability of an individual, many athletes could teach many world-renowned politicians a lesson in tolerance. So the next time you point a finger at an athlete for being a "big shot," remember that there are three fingers pointing back at you.