Special report:   2008 Olympic Games     

    BRASILIA, March 5 (Xinhua) -- The Brazilian volleyball player Rodrigao announced on Wednesday that he is confident he will recuperate and be able to play in the 2008 Olympic Games.

    The member of the Brazilian men's national volleyball team suffered an injury to his left knee last week, however, he is optimistic about his return to the team for this year's competition.

    "My body is doing fine. I feel a little bit of pain, but not too much. I am a little worried because I've never had an injury of this sort and have never needed surgery. However, don't count me out of the Olympics. I think I will have healed and will be ready, not only for the Olympics, but for the finals of the World League in Brazil ," said the athlete.

    Rodrigao was injured last Thursday during a game for Macerata against Modena for the Italian Cup. "After having blocked a ball, I landed on top of the foot of one of my teammates and twisted my knee. I continued to play, but the pain increased and I could feel that my knee was unstable," added the center-net of the Brazilian national team.

    The player underwent an MRI in Milan , however the results were inconclusive. He then went to a specialist who diagnosed Rodrigao with a tear in one of his knee ligaments.

    On Thursday, the athlete will arrive in Brazil to be evaluated by the medical staff of the Brazilian national volleyball team.

    This is not the first time that Rodrigao receives an injury prior to the Olympics. In 2004, a bruised bone in his right leg almost took him out of the Games in Athens, Greece.

    On the bright side, Rodrigao said that the pain he feels now is less than the injury from four years ago.