Chile has confirmed the delegation of athletes who will represent the South American country at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, which begin next Friday, July 26, with an opening ceremony in the capital of France.Team ChileThe Olympic team will be represented by 48 athletes, the largest representation in history, not counting team sports such as football, which did not qualify for the Olympics.
The participation of the Chileans will come later on boom of the sports centers after the Pan American and Parapan American Games in Santiago 2023. The enthusiasm of citizens to follow the multiple sports disciplines spread to the authorities. President Gabriel Boric had planned a trip – which was cancelled due to the security crisis in the country – to Paris to attend the opening ceremony to advance Chile’s bid to host the 2036 Olympic Games, a commitment that was made by the president during his Public Account on June 1.
The growth of representatives
Chile will send 48 athletes to Paris, of which 30 are men and 18 are women. The figure is lower than that of the previous Olympic Games in Tokyo 2020, where 56 athletes traveled. But the detailed numbers show a historic growth in disciplines where the South American country usually does not have a presence. Team ChileHe explained that 50% of the disciplines (11 out of 20) have more athletes. For example, athletics tripled its participants (from three to nine) and cycling doubled (from two to four). Eight sports equaled their representation compared to Tokyo, with the exception of equestrian, which suffered losses due to the death of a horse and the exclusion of a competitor due to a decision by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). As for the newcomers, there will be 22. Also, 27 of the 48 athletes were medalists in the last Pan American Games.
The delegation without team sports
Chilean delegation officials have stressed that this group will make history by being the largest without considering team sports. The South American country failed to qualify in any team discipline, which caused a natural decrease in the number of athletes compared to Tokyo 2020. For example, the previous Olympic Games included the participation of the women’s soccer team, made up of 22 players. Female RedShe was unable to revalidate her Olympic journey after being eliminated from the classification.
The standard bearers
The Chilean Olympic Committee (COCh) has chosen rower Antonia Abraham and tennis player Nicolás Jarry as the Chilean flag bearers for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. The athletes, who have stood out in their respective disciplines in recent years, will carry the Chilean flag during the opening ceremony in France.
Sports with Chilean participation
The Chilean delegation will participate in 19 sports: Athletics, cycling, horse riding, fencing, golf, judo, Olympic wrestling, swimming, modern pentathlon, canoeing, rowing, taekwondo, tennis, table tennis, archery, Olympic shooting, triathlon, sailing and beach volleyball.
The athletes of ‘Team Chile’
The Chilean delegation will include some Chilean sports figures, several of them with established careers and others who became known thanks to the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games. Among the athletes who will fight for a medal for the country are the marathon runner Hugo Catrileo; the table tennis player Tania Zeng; the swimmer Kristel Köbrich; the tennis player Alejandro Tabilo; the rowers Melita and Antonia Abraham; the shooter Francisca Crovetto; the sprinter Martina Weil; the shot putter Natalia Duco; and the volleyball players Marco and Esteban Grimalt, among others.
The complete list of athletes qualified for Paris 2024 is available on the official website of the Team Chile.
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