The International Cycling Union (UCI) has given two open places
to Chilean cyclists in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, bringing the
total number of places to four, the sport's Chilean Federation said
on Monday.
Cycling has the largest number of Chileans qualified of any
single sport. Mountain biker Francisca Campos was the most recent
to win a place through competition.
"The UCI has just confirmed the great news and we are really
happy. We had been hoping for one place, but in the end we won two
thanks to Chile's participation in the B World Cup," said
Federation spokesman Ivan Vasquez.
Vasquez, who also coaches cyclist Victor Garrido, added "the two
places will be subject to a national selection process to see who
will use them, but the most important thing is that we have
them."
He said the Chile's cyclists were especially pleased because the
country had not achieved very impressive results in the
Pan-American Games, held in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro in
July.
Chile's Olympic team so far is the following: shot-putters Marco
Antonio Verni and Natalia Duco; Campos and speed cyclist Matias del
Solar; pentathlete Cristian Bustos; and swimmer Kristel K
Brich.
(Xinhua News Agency October 30, 2007)