In the qualifiers to the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, the Brazilian national team of water polo lost to Russia on Wednesday by a score of 11-3.
With the loss, the Brazilians are left out of the race to secure a spot in this year's Olympic Games.
The tournament in Oradea, Romania, continues, but without the chance of the team dressed in yellow and blue to represent their country in the games to be held in August in Beijing, China.
The water polo team from Brazil will play one more time in the tournament. Their last game will be against Slovakia on Thursday. However, should the team pull out a victory, they will remain out of Olympic contention. Should they win, they would improve to fourth place in their group, however, only the top three teams in each group qualify to the third round. Brazil already lost to Romania by a score of 13-4.
The winners of each group automatically qualify for the semifinals of the tournament and to the Olympics. The teams that finish in second and third place in each group will face off against each other. The winners of each game will also qualify for the semifinals and will also receive a passport to the Olympic Games.
(Xinhua News Agency March 6, 2008)