Players from the Greek men's basketball team said in the Olympic Village on Thursday that they would fight for a medal in the Beijing Games.
"We have a very good team. We are second in the world and first in Europe. I believe we can win something here," said Konstantinos Tsartsaris, power forward of Greece.
When asking about whether "something" means a medal, Tsartsaris said,"Yes. Why not? A medal, of course."
Tsartsaris' confidence was echoed by his teammate Vasileios Spanoulis. "Yes, we come here to get a medal," said the 26-year-old guard who had ever played in Houston Rockets with Chinese NBA star Yao Ming.
"I was very happy when playing with Yao," Spanoulis added.
Greece finished 5th in last Olympic Gams held on their own soil. Being runners-up in 2006 World Championship, they muscled out basketball giant USA in the semifinal but lost to Spain in the final.
Most Greek basketballers are satisfied with the Olympic Village. Center Sofoklis Schortsanitis said, "Everything here is good and the first impression is great. We are comfortable and we don't have any trouble. I think we will enjoy the stay in the next 20 days."
"The bed is long-enough and cozy. We can have a good rest here," added Tsartsaris.
(Xinhua News Agency August 7, 2008)