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Wednesday August 13, 2008

Warring neighbours set to take on each other in beach volleyball

THOUSANDS of miles away from war-torn Georgia, the Beijing Olympics indulges in bikini diplomacy today in the unlikely setting of the beach volleyball stadium.

Andrezza Chagas and Cristine Santanna, Brazilian-born but playing for Georgia, face Russia’s Natalia Uryadova and Alexandra Shiryaeva with the match assuming dark, symbolic significance following the bloody conflict between the two neighbours.

All set: Cristine Santanna (left) and her team-mate Andrezza Chagas will face Russia's Natalie Uryadova and Alexandra Shiryaeva with the match assuming dark, symbolic significance following the bloody conflict between the two neighbours. - Reuters

Dusky-skinned Chagas, 30, and 29-year-old Santanna have even adopted Georgian names for the Games – Rtvelo and Saka respectively – but insist there is nothing manufactured about their loyalty to the former Soviet republic.

“I live in Brazil, but I have friends in Georgia. The current situation is very difficult. All the athletes here cannot get in contact with their families. They are all very sad,” said Santanna.

“So I want to try my best to beat the Russians and I will be very happy if I can do that. We’ve never played against them but I'm sure we are going to play very well. We are representing Georgia in all our hearts at this difficult time. I feel like a Georgian. We are here because of them.”

Santanna and Chagas were handed passports with the backing of Georgia President Mikheil Saakashvili, whose wife is a former volleyball player.

Santanna and Chagas, who were 17th at the 2007 world championships, have lost both of their matches so far at the Olympics.

But their ball skills, if not their new-found nationality, have impressed their rivals.

“It's a Georgian team, which is a Brazilian team if you know what I mean,” Australia’s Natalie Cook said.

“That means their ball control is very good and their (beach volleyball) culture is there. When you hear the word ‘Georgia’ in beach volleyball, you don’t really give it much credit. But when they’re Brazilian, you have to give them credit.”

Russia and Georgia have already met once at these Olympics.

In the women’s 10m air pistol shooting event, Natalia Paderina, ironically a soldier in the Russian army, took silver ahead of Georgia’s Nino Salukvadze, who took bronze. – AFP

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