Belgian athletics squad to Beijing announced

(BEIJING, July 27) -- Belgium's 20-member athletics team to the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games was announced in Brussels on July 24.

Among the athletes in the Belgian squad are Athens 2004 finalists Kim Gevaert and Tia Hellebaut, who have gathered experience in international competitions in recent years, and are ready to make their bid for a medal in Beijing.

The Belgian Women's 4 x 100m team was the bronze medallist in the 2007 World Championships. Both the Women's 4 x 100m team and the Men's 4 x 400m team carry high hopes for medals at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.

The Belgian Olympic Committee raised qualifying standards to make sure that only athletes who have good chance to perform at the highest level were selected onto the team.