Refugee without a country to compete under Olympic flag in London: Is this what's REALLY wrong with U.S. Immigration policies?

Associated Press

Yesterday, Guor Marial was a gifted athlete. Today, Marial is an Olympian
with less than a week to prepare for his just confirmed trip to London.

The South-Sudanese refugee qualified for the Olympics last October after
meeting the Olympic "A" standard with a run of 2 hours, 14 minutes and 32
seconds at the 2011 Twin Cities Marathon. All that was missing after that
display of talent was a country to represent in the Olympics.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) requires athletes to be full
citizens of the countries they represent. Though Marial has lived in the U.S.
for 11 years, he has yet to gain full citizenship and his status as a permanent
resident isn't enough to allow him to wear red, white and blue at the games.

"Technically, I was supposed to be a citizen last June, because I did
everything, I did my citizen test, I did my interview, I did my fingerprints,
and everything was all set. All I needed to do was to go to their office and get
my passport and do the ceremony. That was in June 2011, but there has been a
security background check...and that's what took everything longer," Marial said
this week in an interview with Runner's World.

Marial was born in what is now the Republic of South Sudan, a newly
independent country without a National Olympic Committee, an IOC requirement for
nations to be able to compete in the games.

With no country to represent, Marial began petitioning the IOC to run as an
independent participant under the Olympic flag.

"It would be great for the people of South Sudan for me to run as an
independent," Marial told the New York Times last week. "And the U.S. because
that's where I discovered running. It would be great for the whole world."

At its 123rd session in July of last year, the IOC granted independent status to
athletes from the Netherlands Antilles after its National Olympic Committee was
dissolved, in order to "preserve as much as possible the interests of the
athletes." Qualified athletes from South Sudan, including Mr. Marial, deserve
equal treatment, and the IOC should act to grant him an Olympic berth without
delay."

Early this morning, Marial found out the IOC will allow him to run in the
Olympic marathon as an independent participant under the Olympic flag.