ODESA, FEBRUARY, 15th, 2010, CONTEXT-PRICHERNOMORIE – The Olympics having started 12 February in Vancouver, Canada, are the first not have sportsmen from Odesa Oblast involved, Context-Prichernomorie correspondent reports.

Mr Aleksander Popovichenko, deputy Chief of the Sports Dept, Odesa Regional State Administration, informed our correspondent about it today 15 February.

“Unfortunately, these Olympic Games, are the first Games where sportsmen of the Odesa Oblast do not participate. Before that, our sportsmen competed in sport dance and figure skating. None of our sportsmen however were chosen for these Games”, he stressed.

According to the official, all in all 47 sportsmen represent Ukraine at the Winter Olympics 2010 in Canada: cross-country skiing, free-style, skating, biathlon, figure skating, sport dance, and tobogganing.