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Unclear Whether Georgian Olympic Team Will Stay in Beijing
The Georgian Olympic team will not participate in the 29th Summer Olympics and is leaving Beijing. Georgian media report that the athletes made that decision after a meeting with Sandra Roelofs, wife of Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili in Beijing. The official reason for the decision is that the athletes want to be with their families during this difficult time for their country.
Saakashvili had stated previously that the Georgian athletes plan to stage a protest against Russian actions in South Ossetia, even though, under the rules of the International Olympic Committee, they could be disqualified for doing so. Georgian and Russian athletes were scheduled to face each other for the first time on August 13, during the women’s beach volleyball match.
British newspaper The Guardian writes that news of the military actions between Georgia and Russia reached Beijing Friday evening, during the opening ceremony for the Olympics. Gennady Shvets, press secretary for the Russian team, said that the athletes were upset by the news of the 1500 deaths from the bombardment of Tskhinvali, but they would not abandon their training. Shvets spoke strongly about Saakashvili, calling him “mentally ill.”
Representative of the Georgian team Petr Tsanava stated on Friday that there was no antagonism between the two teams. “I live in Moscow myself, but my family is in Georgia now, and I am very much concerned. I hope things are decided quickly,” he told The Guardian.
Agence France Presse reports, citing a Georgian team source, that the Georgian Olympics team will stay in Beijing. Saakashvili asked the team to stay on Saturday, the source said, in spite of team members’ desire to be close to their families during the South Ossetia crisis.
www.kommersant.com
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