There's Gold in Them States; From the Czech Republic to Brazil, winners are more and more likely to hail from beyond the big powers.(Cover Story)

Byline: Tony Emerson (Stephen Gibbs Alexandra Polier)

Why are small powers rising? One clear reason is the fall of the Soviet Union, which freed nations like Ukraine, Belarus, and Bulgaria, all double-digit medal winners in Sydney. Another is rising wealth and population. Yet another is IOC funding for international camps that cater to athletes from small nations. Whatever the key, light- and middleweight states provide some of the most compelling stories of the Games. Some of our favorites follow below.

--Tony Emerson

IRAQ | THE NIGHTMARE ENDS

Baghdad's shops were shuttered, its dusty streets deserted. Finally, the crack of AK-47s rent the silence that sweltering afternoon last month. It was celebratory gunfire--the Iraqi national soccer team had scored its first goal in what would prove a 2-1 victory over Saudi Arabia.

Iraqis love their soccer. And you can bet most of the country will be watching again when the men's national team takes the field in Athens. True, the team had to play its home Olympic qualifying matches in Jordan: their old stadium was being used as a tank parking lot. The coffers are bare, looted by former National Olympic Committee chairman Uday Hussein. But things are looking up for Iraq's sports teams. In January, a new chairman took over the National Olympic Committee: Ahmed al-Samarrai is a former Olympian, with none of his predecessor's enthusiasm for beating, jailing and torturing athletes. About 30 Iraqis will march in this week's opening ceremonies. They include a boxer, a weightlifter and Iraq's first female Olympian since 1988.

The Coalition Provisional Authority and the IOC have ponied up millions to help out. Al-Samarrai has also taken a page from America and sought corporate sponsors. The soccer team has signed two-year deals with South Korean, Egyptian and Danish companies. Negotiations with Nike and Motorola derailed in April, when citizens of Fallujah dragged several U.S. contractors through the streets and hung their battered corpses from a bridge. Even so, a new era for Iraqi athletes has begun.