JOHANNESBURG, South Africa - It is always difficult to find a "good news" story about Zimbabwe - because the country's economy is a mess.

Officially, inflation is 2.2 million percent; unofficially economists put it at around 10 million percent. To put those rather staggering numbers into perspective - here in South Africa people are lamenting "soaring" inflation of 11.6 percent.

So just imagine living in a country where the cost of bread and milk are governed by price hikes of more than 2 million percent?

Along with the economic collapse in Zimbabwe, the political situation is also unstable.

So it was a joy to cover the inspiring and uplifting stories of two Zimbabwean athletes who are competing in the Olympic Games.

Zimbabwe is sending 13 athletes to Beijing despite the tough conditions back home.

Heather Brand is a swimmer, who is based in the United States, and Tabitha Tsatsa is a marathon runner who is based part-time in South Africa.

Most of the "Team Zimbabwe" trains and competes outside of the country. But still, the athletes CNN interviewed said they're proud and honored to be representing their country.

The CEO of the Zimbabwe Olympic Committee, Robert Mutsauki, is pragmatic about the challenges of trying to train and support world-class athletes in a country that just doesn't have the facilities or money to nurture their talents.

He told me over the phone from Harare that the economic situation does affect everybody but "we can't throw up our hands" and "expect preferential treatment because of the economic situation."

He added wryly that you don't win medals because competitors feel sorry for you.

So he says that Zimbabwean Olympic Committee and the athletes tend to be stoic and accept the dire economic situation. He said they try to "manage the environment" and that they have factored in inflation into their planning.

By my estimation, "factoring in" a 2.2 million official percent inflation rate is an Olympian feat in itself.

Either way, Mutsauki's "can-do" attitude mirrors that of his Olympians. They seem to be a positive and inspiring bunch of athletes who are going Beijing to compete on an equal footing with the other athletes.

Publicly, they refuse to be drawn into complaining or criticizing their government, the economy or their lack of facilities at home.

Competitors such as Tabitha and Heather say they are proud to represent Zimbabwe. And by journeying to Beijing they also knew they are inspiring a battered nation.