Cyprus and its athletes are well-prepared and hopeful this time on the road to Beijing for the 2008 Olympic Games, said the head of the Cyprus Olympic Committee on Friday.

At a press conference titled "The Road to Beijing," Kikis Lazarides, President of the Cyprus Olympic Committee, estimated that 16 to 20 of its athletes would be able to compete in Beijing, representing the small eastern Mediterranean island.

"We want to believe that the 2008 Olympic Games will be truly special for Cyprus sport," said Lazarides. "We are optimistic that in the Chinese capital we can make it."

No Cypriot athlete has managed to stand on the Olympic podium since the island state's first participation in the Games of Moscow in 1980.

In recent years, some Olympic hopefuls have appeared on the island. George Achilleos, a skeet shooter, is currently the first in the world ranking. High jumper Kyriakos Ioannou, secured a bronze medal in the World Championship in Osaka, Japan. Markos Baghdatis, a famous Cypriot tennis player, won the China Open in 2006.

"It is the first time we are being so optimistic. This is based neither on exaggeration nor on arrogance, but on a realistic consideration of the current situation," explained Lazarides.

Spanos Alekos, head of the Cyprus Olympic Delegation, told Xinhua that so far 16 Cypriot athletes had secured tickets to the Beijing Olympics, mainly in shooting, track and field and tennis.

Cypriots hope they can obtain at least five more quotas in the months to come.

Chinese Ambassador to Cyprus Zhao Yali told the press conference that the Beijing Olympic Games are not only an event of great significance to China itself, but also a grand celebration of peace and friendship for all over the world.

"China and Cyprus maintain extensive and thorough cooperation in the field of sports," he added. "It is our sincere hope that Beijing can be a blessing for Cypriot athletes to make a breakthrough in the forthcoming Olympic Games of Beijing, particularly in shooting, tennis and high jumping."

(Xinhua News Agency October 13, 2007)