SYDNEY, March 1 (AFP) - Australia was planning to send its largest away team of 475 athletes to this year’sAthens Olympic Games, the Australian Olympic Committeesaid on Monday.
AOC vice-president and four-time Olympian PeterMontgomery said the Athens team would number more thanthe 424 athletes who competed in Atlanta in 1996 and 292in Barcelona in 1992.
The team to Athens will be accompanied by 300 coaches,doctors, physiotherapists, psychologists, chiropractors,massage therapists and dieticians, Montgomery said in astatement on Monday.
Arranging to take a team of this size to an OlympicGames is a massive job and the AOC is determined ourathletes are given every opportunity to perform at theirbest,'' he said. The AOC is committed to sending a full team toAthens. Our president John Coates has given anundertaking that any athlete who achieves the qualifyingstandard in their sport and is nominated by their sportto the AOC are guaranteed a seat on the plane toAthens.’’
Montgomery said the AOC was aiming for a top-fivefinish in Athens in August.
At the last Games in Sydney in 2000, Australia won arecord 58 medals, 16 gold, 25 silver, 17 bronze, andfinished fourth on the overall medal tally.
Montgomery said the various Olympic sporting teamswill be announced over the coming months and many willhead to Europe and other destinations to acclimatise tothe heat with temperatures in Athens expected to reach40 Celsius in August.
Our uniform suppliers are using their expertise toproduce uniforms that combat the heat'' he said. Nikeis trialing cooling vests for some of our athletes towear’’.