Mizzima News

New Delhi – At least four Burmese athletes will be joining the Beijing Summer Olympics. 

Of a total of six athletes who applied, four have been allowed to join the game to be held in Beijing, China in August. The Sports and Physical Education Department submitted applications for six athletes for track and field, swimming, archery and rowing to the Olympic Committee.

"Shwe Zin Latt was admitted to compete in rowing. The rest have not yet received letters of admission from the Olympic committee. I think they will get it a month before the game. As swimming and track and field categories are the first ever competition for the Burmese athletes in the Olympic game, they can join disregarding their qualification," Nau Taung, Director (Training and competition) of Sports and Physical Education Department told Mizzima.

Kyaw Zin (Swimming),  Shwe Zin Latt (Rowing), Soe Min Thu and Lae Lae Win for track and field are sure to join the game but Phone Myint Tayza (rowing) and Nay Myo Aung (archery) are not yet sure to join as they are still waiting for advisory letters from the Olympic Committee. 

"The athletes can join the game only if they meet the standards and qualifications prescribed by the committee. For archery, the World Archery Federation must give its approval and so too for rowing," Nau Taung said. 

The Burmese athletes selected for the 2008 Olympic game where athletes from 205 countries will participate are medal winners in the 24th SEA games. Though they cannot be expected to win medals in the Olympics, the athletes will try their best to perform, he said. 

Burma sent her athletes for archery and weight lifting in the 2004 Olympic Games but this year it cannot send to the weight lifting category as the athletes are not qualified. But more athletes have been allowed to join this year. 

The Burmese athletes will be accompanied by 14 Burmese Olympic Committee members. 

The Chinese government brutally cracked down on peaceful demonstration by Tibetan monks and people in Tibet in capital Lhasa and other places in March this year. After which Burmese pro-democracy activists launched the 'Boycott Beijing 2008 Olympic' campaign along with Tibetans in exile. 

The Tibet movement took place six months after the protests in Burma in August-September 2007, where there were protests against the sudden fuel price hike by the Burmese regime which triggered essential commodity prices.