Colombia will have the biggest delegation in its history for the Beijing Olympic Games, the Colombian Olympic Committee (COC) said on Thursday.
A Colombian for the sailing RSX will get to Beijing 2008 as the sport's world governing body communicated to the COC that it would give one pass to Colombia, making 64 Colombians who will compete in the Olympics.
The name of the athlete will be decided during the end of the week after a selective process in Cartagena. The hopefuls are Nicolas Lozana, Santiago Grillo and Camilo Marmol who have frequently competed in U.S. and Europe.
Colombia does not have more chances to classify directly any of its sailing contenders, but never lost of sight the opportunity of the "not used passes," that are used when a classified athlete for some reason can not attend the Olympics.
Geiner Alonso Mosquera was the one who recently gained his pass to Beijing when timing 45 seconds and 89 hundredths in the Athletic Grand Prix of Ponce in Puerto Rico.
In Athens-2004, Colombia sent 55 athletes and won two bronze medals, one in cycling and other on weight lifting.
To the moment, Colombia will send 64 athletes for the Beijing Olympics in 15 sports, namely athletics, boxing, rowing, cycling, equestrian, artistic gymnastics, judo, weightlifting, wrestling, swimming, taekwondo, table tennis and archery.
(Xinhua News Agency May 30, 2008)