Obama Hurt in Basketball Game, Gets 12 Stitches in Lip

WASHINGTON, Nov. 26, 2010 (Xinhua) --

U.S. President Barack Obama was hurt in a basketball game Friday morning, and got 12 stitches in his lip, the White House said.

Obama got the stitches after his basketball game in the morning with personal aide Reggie Love and members of his family at Fort McNair Army base in Washington.

White House Spokesman Robert Gibbs said in a statement that " after being inadvertently hit with an opposing player's elbow in the lip while playing basketball with friends and family," Obama " received 12 stitches today administered by the White House Medical Unit."

The stitches were done in the doctor's office located on the ground floor of the White House. The doctors that treated Obama used a smaller filament than typically used, which increases the number of stitches but makes a tighter stitch and results in a smaller scar. Obama was given a local anesthetic while receiving the stitches. It is not clear at the moment whether the injury would affect Obama's looks.

Obama frequently plays basketball with friends, family and aides. His personal aide Love, commonly referred to as his "body man" because he accompanies Obama virtually everywhere, was a forward at Duke University's Blue Devils basketball team that won the NCAA national championship in 2001. Fort McNair has a basketball court frequented by Obama.

The injury occurred during the Thanksgiving holiday, and Obama has no public events scheduled for the weekend.

Editor: Mu Xuequan

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