The road to the Tokyo Olympic Games: Chile boasts one of its biggest ever teams

With just two months to go before the start of the Tokyo Olympic Games, Team Chile is already breaking records. Firstly, it has athletes participating in a greater range of sports than ever before and secondly it looks set to be one of Chile's biggest ever delegations.

After they were postponed in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the world's most important sporting event, the Olympic Games, are finally set to take place in Tokyo between July 23 and August 8, 2021.

With 45 athletes having qualified so far, Team Chile looks set to be the country's fifth largest Olympic delegation, surpassed only by Helsinki 1952 (with 58 athletes), London 1948 (with 56), Los Angeles 1984 (with 55) and Sydney 2000 (with 52). These figures provided by the Chilean Olympic Committee consider the number of sportspersons who competed at each Olympic Games.

"It's a fantastic achievement that this year's Team Chile is the one of our largest ever. It reflects the hard work that our sportspersons and their federations have put in and also the strong support that has been provided through the Olympic Plan over the last ten years," announced the President of Chile's Olympic Committee, Miguel Ángel Mujica.

Furthermore, Chile's Olympic team will compete in at least twenty different sports, the highest number in the country's Olympic history. These disciplines are: athletics, canoeing, cycling, water sports, equestrian, fencing, golf, gymnastics, women's football, weightlifting, wrestling, pentathlon, rowing, skateboarding (the Olympic debut of this discipline), taekwondo, tennis, table tennis, shooting, archery and sailing. There are also a dozen other disciplines in which more athletes could still be added to Team Chile.

"What this group of athletes has achieved is remarkable. It is set to be one of the largest delegations that Chile has sent to the Olympics, in terms of the number of sportspersons and the disciplines in which they will compete. What's more, in qualifying for women's football, Chile will be sending a team to compete in an event of this nature for the first time in twenty years. We're also still hoping to add more faces to the team that will fly Chile's flag in Tokyo," commented Sports Minister, Cecilia Pérez.

So far Team Chile comprises the following athletes:

1. Kristel Köbrich Swimming
2. Francisca Crovetto Skeet Shooting
3. Esteban Bustos Modern Pentathlon
4. Martín Vidaurre Mountain Biking
5. María José Mailliard Canoeing
6. Karen Roco Canoeing
7. Macarena Perez Cycling BMX Freestyle
8. Simona Castro Gymnastics
9. Clemente Seguel Sailing
10. Yasmani Acosta Wrestling
11. Fernanda Aguirre Taekwondo
12. Paulina Vega Table Tennis
13. Gabriel Kehr. Athletics
14. Katina Proestakis Fencing
15. Tomás Barrios Tennis
16. María Fernanda Valdés Weightlifting
17. Arley Mendez Weightlifting
18. Joaquín Niemann Golf
19. Cristian Garin Tennis
20. Catalina Soto Cycling road race
21. Humberto Mansilla Athletics
22. Josefina Tapia Skateboarding
23. Eduardo Cisternas Swimming
24. César Abaroa Rowing
25. Éber Sanhueza Rowing
26. Andres Aguilar Archery
27. Representative Women's Football
28. Representative Women's Football
29. Representative Women's Football
30. Representative Women's Football
31. Representative Women's Football
32. Representative Women's Football
33. Representative Women's Football
34. Representative Women's Football
35. Representative Women's Football
36. Representative Women's Football
37. Representative Women's Football
38. Representative Women's Football
39. Representative Women's Football
40. Representative Women's Football
41. Representative Women's Football
42. Representative Women's Football
43. Representative Women's Football
44. Representative Women's Football
45. Representative TBC Equestrian (Showjumping)