Mexico aims to send 85 athletes to Beijing Olympic Games

MEXICO CITY, May 2 (Xinhua) -- Mexico so far has 66 athletes that have earned passes to participate in China's Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, all hoping to win some medal but the truth is that they only have chances to participate in 7-9 finals.

Mexico still aims to send 85 athletes to Beijing-2008, while this Latin American country sent 114 athletes to Athens 2004, where they earned four medals, two silver and two bronze.

Mexico's team sports will be absent from Beijing 2008 since their men's and women's soccer teams failed to earn Beijing 2008 passes, and so did this country's baseball team.

Mexican sports officials have stated Beijing 2008 will be difficult for Mexican athletes, since local sports officials claim they have not had enough time to get ready for the games since the current Mexican Sports leader Carlos Hermosillo has only ben heading the post since 2006.

Mexican sports officials only promise to fight from seven to nine finals in Beijing 2008.

"We cannot forecast how many medals we are going to win, it is not prudent to do it because we are trying to solve this Olympic cycle," said the head of the Mexican sports delegation Carlos Padilla to Xinhua.

Padilla said that the only guarantee they have for the Mexican people is that their athletes are going to make their best effort.

"We calculate seven or nine finals, and like I have said, anything can happen in a final," said Padilla.

Mexico holds fifth place as Latin American country with most athletes classified for Beijing 2008, the list is headed by Brazil with 204 athletes classified, Cuba with 133, Argentina with 122 and Venezuela with 94.

Some Mexican athletes that have chances to win medals in Beijing 2008 include diver Paola Espinosa in the 10 meters platform, who won three gold medals in Rio de Janeiro 2007, and she also obtained the same three medals in Bangkok, Thailand's World University Games of 2007.

Another medal hope is taekwondo athlete Maria del Rosario, who won China's Taekwondo competition in the 72 kilograms category, among other events in 2007, and sailing athlete Tania Elias Calles, among others.