Show Them Games’ True Spirit

American fans won’t prove anything by chanting “U-S-A” at hockey games or showering applause on Michelle Kwan. This country’s patriotic spirit isn’t in question. Not these days. The fans can show that they embrace everything this country stands for by cheering just as loudly when Bagher Kalhor works his way through the slalom course or Mostafa Mirhashemi hits the finish line at a cross-country event.

They are the two athletes competing for the Islamic Republic of Iran at these Olympic Games. They are willing to come to our turf, on our terms, for these Games. They’re giving us a chance. We should do the same for them.

“[We’re] showing the Iranian flag to everybody in all countries, all nations,” Kalhor said through an interpreter in anticipation of Friday night’s opening ceremony. “We are coming for peace and showing to everybody we are not terrorists, we are not criminal people. We are looking for peace, friendship together.”

They are branded as different, when all they want to do is be like the rest of the athletes.

Other Olympic participants get to talk about double axels. The Iranian contingent has to answer questions about an evil axis.

The roles aren’t as easily defined as they were 22 years ago, the last time the Winter Olympics were held in America. There’s no Cold War, no good-vs.-evil delineation. It all changes too quickly. A couple of months ago, we were bombing Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban regime. Now we’re trying to aid that country’s fledgling new government.

Of the three nations President Bush mentioned in his charge of an “axis of evil,” countries supporting terrorism--Iran, Iraq and North Korea--Iran is the only one participating in these Olympics. That’s a dubious distinction among the 77 nations represented in Salt Lake.

“We are coming only for friendship,” said Farshid Alizadeh, vice president of the Iranian Ski Federation. “We are not coming for politic. The politics is different story.”

Religion has been an unavoidable subplot of these Olympics set in the heartland of the Mormon church. But Iran is the only country with Islam as a part of its official name.

The misguided among us wanted to blame Islam for the attacks of Sept. 11, as if all Muslims shared blame. These athletes aren’t here to say which belief is right.

“Everybody is allowed his own religion,” Mirhashemi, the cross-country skier, said through an interpreter. “We are not coming for teaching everybody Islam.”

So let’s just treat this like a first date, where talk about religion and politics is off limits.

Don’t hold lingering grudges from the Iranian hostage crisis against these athletes. Mirhashemi was only 5 years old and Afsharzadeh was only a few months old when Iranian students took over the American embassy in Tehran on Nov. 4, 1979.

So far, these Iranians have been well received, from the moment their international flight arrived in Chicago. They were not fingerprinted, which is a normal Justice Department requirement for visiting foreigners, but a practice the Iranians find highly offensive.

“Thanks for the minister of justice and the minister of administration,” Alizadeh said. “Very good reception to us. Thanks very much. Before we are coming here, we were thinking when we were arriving [there would be] so many difficulty. But, really, thanks for everybody.”

The good vibes continued with them to Salt Lake City. Kalhor, the Alpine skier, even complimented the smooth landing. They had a reception with Iranian-Americans on Thursday night, then attended their official welcome to the Olympic village on Friday morning. A couple of dozen Olympic staffers applauded as the Iranian team was presented with gifts--a quilt and peace pipe. Then they listened to the Iranian national anthem as the flag was raised.

American enemies are less visible now, scattered around the world and perhaps hidden among us. But the American ideals worth defending are clear. Freedom. And tolerance. Those concepts should be in abundance at the Olympic Games.

Another thing we know for sure: The enemy isn’t a couple of guys on skis. In fact, they’re underdogs. That’s another trait that has always appealed to Americans.

“Winter sports is not our big sport,” said Majid Seghatoleslami, the Iranian attache. “But we’re going to compete.”

Iran first participated in the Winter Olympics in 1956, then competed in 1964, ‘68, ’72 and ’76. The Iranians were absent for the next five Winter Games before returning in 1998.

The other day, USOC President Sandy Baldwin told a story about the Lillehammer Games in 1994: American downhill skier Tommy Moe finished .04 of a second faster than Norwegian homeboy Kjetl Andre Aamodt to snatch the gold medal and stun 30,000 fans who had been cheering wildly just a couple of minutes before. On the long trek back from the venue, Norwegians saw Baldwin’s USA jacket, patted her on the back and congratulated her on Moe’s victory.

If the fans in Salt Lake can be like the Norwegians, and cheer the Iranians, they’ll come off as better Americans.

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J.A. Adande can be reached at: j.a.adande@latimes.com.