European beach volleyballers said they were in Beijing not to talk about politics, but to focus on sport.

"I can talk about some politics in general, but this time we're here to compete," men's player Jorre Kjemperud of Norway told Xinhua on Tuesday after finishing a training session.

"It's good to hold Olympics in Beijing," he added.

Liesbeth Mouha and Liesbet Van Breedam of Belgium said: "We don't know about politics. We want to focus on sport."

The pair also said they were looking forward to visiting some famous historical sites in Beijing after the Olympics, such as the Great Wall and the Forbidden City.

Doppler Clemens of Austria said he was in Beijing to fight for a good result, maybe "a medal," and he was "not expert in politics."

"Everybody is friendly here in Beijing, everybody is ready to help," he added.

Beach volleyball competition at the Beijing Games is believed by coaches and players to be fierce. Top ranking teams could be eliminated.

Preliminary round of competitions of the beach volleyball runs from Aug. 9 to 14, followed by elimination matches from Aug. 15 to 22.

(Xinhua News Agency August 5, 2008)