Sand And Jibes Fly As Georgia Nets Win Over Russia
The Age
Thursday August 14, 2008
THE Russians were sullen in defeat, insisting that their opponents were not "real" Georgians. The Brazil-born Georgian players - who spent two years gaining dual citizenship to represent the former Soviet state - said they played their hearts out to win for their Georgian friends and colleagues suffering the onslaught of war.
It was billed as a grudge match by excited international media: the first team match-up at the Olympics between Russia and Georgia - the two countries that until Tuesday's ceasefire had been killing each other in the thousands over the breakaway state of South Ossetia.In the end it highlighted good versus bad sportsmanship - and how sport, played by bikini-clad athletes against thundering '80s and '90s rock classics, could almost smooth over even the deepest political fissures. Most of the almost capacity crowd were Chinese. They clapped and cheered, following large-screen instructions advising "Great spike", "Spectacular play" or simply "Wow!" But they also applauded spontaneously as the Russian and Georgian teams fought hard. There were even Mexican waves before the match. Roars were equally loud for the Russian and Georgian women when they came out at the Chaoyang Park beach volleyball stadium. Perhaps the Olympic spirit was best exemplified by the sight of Chinese spectators waving their group-issued blow-up batons along to the AC/DC anthem Highway to Hell as big-haired, bikini-clad cheerleaders go-go danced around the sandpit during breaks.The Georgian players, Cristine Santanna and Andrezza Chagas - known as Saka and Rtvelo in Georgia ("Sakartvelo" being the Georgian word for Georgia) - took the initiative, shaking hands and then hugging their Russian opponents, Natalia Uryadova and Alexandra Shiryaeva.Russia initially outclassed their opponents, winning the first set 21-10. But the Georgians fought back with some spectacular plays to hang on and win the second set 22-20, after saving a match point at 19-20. In the final set, the Georgians tied the score at 20-20 with a dramatic drop shot, before taking the next two points and the match. After the match, Chagas and Santanna said that while the Olympics were apolitical it had been "emotional" and "special" playing Russia because of the conflict. The women denied embarrassment over their dual nationality and said their hearts went out to Georgians, who had given them great support. "I don't want to get political because this is the Olympic Games," Santanna said. "But deep down in my heart I wanted to beat the Russians for sure." At the press conference, the Russian players sat looking sullen. At one point Uryadova muttered that they hadn't lost to Georgians but to "our Brazilian friends" after being asked about the war and pressure to win."We were not actually playing against the Georgian team; we were playing against our Brazilian friends here," she said.After a similar mumbled Russian comment was finally translated into English following media prompting, Santanna leapt in to respond graciously that both teams had fought hard. "I don't want this to be a war between us. I appreciate and respect them as players," she said. The Russians didn't look any happier.
© 2008 The Age