- Sputnik International
World
Get the latest news from around the world, live coverage, off-beat stories, features and analysis.

Georgia set to stay at Olympics despite South Ossetia conflict

Subscribe
Georgia will keep its team at the Beijing Olympics despite the widening conflict in its breakaway region of South Ossetia, a spokesperson for Georgia's National Olympic Committee said on Monday.
BEIJING, August 11 (RIA Novosti) - Georgia will keep its team at the Beijing Olympics despite the widening conflict in its breakaway region of South Ossetia, a spokesperson for Georgia's National Olympic Committee said on Monday.

"The athletes are certainly concerned by what is going on in their country, however I cannot confirm the information on their early return," the spokesperson said.

The 35-strong Olympic team said on Saturday it would pull out of the Beijing Games to enlist as army reserves.

Georgia launched major ground and air attacks to seize control of South Ossetia on Friday, prompting Russia to send in tanks and hundreds of troops. Regional capital Tskhinvali has been largely destroyed, and around 2,000 civilians have died according to Russia. A total of 34,000 people are reported to have fled the area into Russia.

The attack coincided with the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics.

In a message on Sunday, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili called on the athletes to continue participating in the Beijing Olympics despite the escalation of the conflict.

On Sunday, a Georgian and a Russian athlete stood together on the Olympic podium for the first time since the Games and the war erupted, as Georgia's Nino Salukvadze and Russia's Natalia Paderina received their respective bronze and silver medals in the women's 10-meter air pistol competition.

Newsfeed
0
To participate in the discussion
log in or register
loader
Chats
Заголовок открываемого материала