Venezuela to send record 105 athletes to Beijing

Venezuela will send at least 105 athletes to Beijing this year, more than double the participants it sent to the last Olympics, as a decade of big spending by left-wing President Hugo Chavez begins to pay off. Chavez, who considers sport an important element in his drive to build a socialist society in consumer driven Venezuela, said on Sunday this year's Olympic delegation was among the 20 largest in the world. 'This is the potential of the homeland,' he said during his weekly television show. 'For the first time, 105 and there might be more yet.' Much like close ally Cuba, which focuses its budget on social ministries, Chavez has greatly increased spending on health, education and sport, as well as the military, since he took office in 1999. Critics says the government uses sport to divert attention from poor performance in other areas like crime fighting. Oil-endowed Venezuela, traditionally a baseball nation which sends players to the U.S. major leagues, has had some success in other sports in recent years as the government invests part of a bonanza in crude prices on equipment, stadiums and facilities.