Beijing is hosting the 29th Summer Olympic Games from 8 to 24 August. More than 16,000 athletes are expected to take part in the event. They will compete for 302 medals in 28 sports. The Russian team is very likely to be successful in achieving the one of the upper positions in the competitions… The national team comprises 470 athletes.
Gennady Shvetz, Head of the Press-Service of the Russian Olympic Committee, commented, “Reserve players, coaches, massage therapists, and officials will accompany our national team to China. The Russian team is one of the most numerous at the Beijing Olympics. Russian athletes will take part in 28 competitions (out of 32). Taking into consideration Russia’s recent sports victories, we may expect gold medals in boxing, free-style and Greco-Roman wrestling, in artistic gymnastics, and in most team sports. Experts say the teams of Russia, the US, and China will be the main competitors”.
A few weeks left before the start of the Games, Russian athletes will train in Irkutsk, Chita, Khabarovsk, and Vladivostok to adjust to the different climate conditions. The national team will be seen off during a solemn ceremony in the Kremlin, where President Dmitri Medvedev is expected to deliver a speech. Mr Shvets continued, “The country’s top officials traditionally attend the opening and closing Olympic ceremonies. This time, Russian Premier Vladimir Putin will head the Russian delegation of supporters”. The Russian Olympic Committee gave 26,000 tickets to Russian fans, who are ready to provide active support to our athletes in Beijing.
22 July 2008
Voice of Russia World Service
http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=29986&cid=63&p=22.07.2008 (in English)
http://journalofthieves.wordpress.com/2008/08/08/sida/
Comment by journalofthieves — Sunday, 10 August 2008 @ 01:47