And by now the athlete has come to expect that.

That is, an athlete coming back after so long a layoff.

I've never liked it when an athlete says he's retired and then comes back.

"It's a sense of me continuing the momentum and the other athletes coming back because they focus more on the first half."

"I know many international athletes are coming to win," Tulu said.

Every now and then an athlete will come along who might be ready for pro football after less than four years of college competition.

"In my experience, no professional athlete has ever come back from that surgery."

A few athletes in this tournament come at the Iraq issue from other angles.

From 33 countries, 2,700 athletes came to compete in 26 sports.

"The world's athletes can come and start training right now."