Katie Couric's Notebook: Olympic Unity
The Olympic Truce is an ideal dating back to the 9th century B.C. It calls for a cease-fire during the Olympic Games to allow athletes and spectators to travel safely to an Olympic venue. The International Olympic Committee revived it in 1992 for the Barcelona games.
Video: On Friday night, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin attended the opening ceremonies in Beijing as the Russians opened fire in a region of neighboring Georgia.
Georgia is a strong ally of the United States.
It has been the third-largest contributor of troops to the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq, and a key nation for the safe transport of oil. Simply put, big troubles could come from this small conflict.
As the battle raged, a Russian woman and a Georgian woman embraced on a podium in Beijing, having won the silver and the bronze in air pistol shooting.
It was an Olympic truce of sorts, if not quite the ideal.