Swiss Olympic selection fails to match Atlanta numbers

Franziska Rochat-Moser has still to prove she is fast enough to qualify Keystone

Up to 106 Swiss athletes are to compete in the Sydney Olympics in September. The list, released on Wednesday, is the shortest since the Seoul games in 1988, when 99 were selected to compete.

A total of 105 athletes have been confirmed by the Swiss Olympic Association, including 66 men and 39 women, although that number could rise to 106.

The Association has left the possibility open of including one more athlete, the marathon runner, Franziska Rochat-Moser, provided she finishes a half-marathon on September 3 within a time of one hour, 12 minutes.

At the Atlanta Olympics in 1996, Switzerland was represented by 119 athletes.

Missing from this year’s line-up is the reigning Olympic road cycling champion, Pascal Richard. As expected, the committee confirmed the Swiss Cycling Federation’s decision to omit the 36-year-old rider from the five-man team heading for Sydney.

Richard took victory in Atlanta in a three-man sprint, and attracted plenty of attention when he later incorporated the Olympic rings into the design of his jersey, after learning there was no official jersey to designate the Olympic champion.

Another notable absentee, also expected, is the world number one tennis player, Martina Hingis. Hitting for Switzerland will be the country’s number two, Patty Schnyder, along with Emanuelle Gagliardi and Miroslava Vavrinec.

Marc Rosset and Roger Federer are the two men’s players. Rosset won the gold at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona.

In percentage terms a record number of Swiss women will be competing, making up 35 per cent of the athletes represented.

swissinfo with agencies