Olympics 2008: Anna's withdrawal

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BEIJING 2008 OLYMPIC GAMES (Beijing, China; hard (Decoturf II))
========================== http://www.itftennis.com/olympics/
Anna Chakvetadze's withdrawal
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I'm very disappointed that Anna is skipping the Olympics simply because her form is "far from ideal".

Perhaps she wanted to give the Russian team a better chance by letting that bruiser Dinara Safina replace her - "I really want to thank her that she gives me a chance to go there," said Safina.

Or perhaps Anna just didn't want to make the long trip from America to Beijing and back, just for a couple of matches, so close to the US Open.

But I don't think she understands the honour that she is giving up, and I think her decision is against the spirit of the Olympics: "Taking part is more important than winning."

Maybe she'll understand these things when she's too old and low-ranked to play the Olympics, which I hope she won't be by London 2012.


Article
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Dinara Safina to Replace Anna Chakvetadze on Russian Olympic Team
Posted by Aaress Lawless on 23rd June 2008
http://www.onthebaseline.com/2008/06/23/dinara-safina-to-replace-anna-chakvetadze-on-russian-olympic-team/
>>>
2008 French Open finalist Dinara Safina will have an opportunity to represent Russia in Beijing after her countrywoman Anna Chakvetadze decided to skip the Olympics.

Safina is expected to compete alongside Maria Sharapova, Svetlana Kuznetsova, and Elena Dementieva.

Russia's team-captain Shamil Tarpischev announced his tentative squad last month, but Chakvetadze recently asked to have her name removed from the team-roster.

According to Chakvetadze's mother, the Russian No.4 has decided to skip the Olympics because of her recent struggles.

"Anna has no plans to compete in Beijing, because her current form is far from ideal," said her mother to the Allsport news-agency.

Chakvetadze played her first match at the Wimbledon Championships on Monday, and was forced to save three match-points before beating Stéphanie Dubois 2-6 6-1 8-6.
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--
Dr. Andrew Broad
http://geocities.com/andrewbroad/
http://geocities.com/andrewbroad/tennis/
http://geocities.com/andrewbroad/tennis/chakv/

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Anna_Chakvetadze/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/jeldani/

I'm very disappointed that Anna is skipping the Olympics simply because her form is "far from ideal".

Perhaps she wanted to give the Russian team a better chance by letting that bruiser Dinara Safina replace her - "I really want to thank her that she gives me a chance to go there," said Safina.

Or perhaps Anna just didn't want to make the long trip from America to Beijing and back, just for a couple of matches, so close to the US Open.

But I don't think she understands the honour that she is giving up, and I think her decision is against the spirit of the Olympics: "Taking part is more important than winning."

Maybe she'll understand these things when she's too old and low-ranked to play the Olympics, which I hope she won't be by London 2012.

What honour would that be? Honoring Russia? Which at the moment is at war with country of her heritage?

Imagine the pressure she would be under by the press about the war if she was on the team.
I, for one, am glad Anna skipped the olympics and stayed out of the spotlight for now.

The Olympics have nothing to do with war or politics. It's all about the glory of competing for an Olympic medal, which is the biggest prize in all sports. In tennis-terms, it's like the fifth Major - the golden apex at the top of a four-sided pyramid; an essential component of the Golden Grand Slam.