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Georgia Protests After Wrestlers' Birthplaces Listed As Russian


Denis Tsargush's birthplace is listed as being in Russia on the Olympic website.
Denis Tsargush's birthplace is listed as being in Russia on the Olympic website.
Georgia's Olympic Committee is demanding a correction from London Olympics organizers over the listing of two Georgia-born athletes as being from "Russia" on official Olympics materials.

The official London 2012 website (london2012.com) lists the male wrestlers as on the Russian Olympic team.

The website says Besik Kudukhov’s birthplace was in "South Ossetia (RUS)," while Denis Tsargush’s birthplace is shown as "Gudauta (RUS)."

South Ossetia is a separatist region of Georgia, while Gudauta is in another separatist region, Abkhazia.

Moscow recognized both South Ossetia and Abkhazia as "independent" countries after the 2008 war between Russia and Georgia.

Russia has also provided residents of the two places with Russian passports.

Georgia's government and nearly all of the rest of the world consider both regions to be still part of Georgia.

Based on reporting by apsny.ge and Interfax

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