Venezuela ended 2007 with 54 athletes qualified for the 2008 Olympic Games, just over half the goal set by the nation's Olympic committee, local media said on Thursday.

Recent qualifiers include Venezuelan fencers Silvio Fernandez and Ruben Limardo; 800 meters runner Edwar Villanueva; and taekwondo's Dalia Contreras, Adriana Carmona, Carlos Vasquez and Juan Diaz.

The nation has already beaten the 51-athlete score set in 2000's Olympics in Australian city Sydney and the 47 in 2004's Olympics in Greek capital Athens.

The nation's sports minister, Eduardo Alvarez Camacho, said that Venezuelans will enter 18 Olympic qualifiers over the next six months which could give places to 50 Venezuelan athletes altogether.

"All the competitive teams and individuals are in permanent training aiming to qualify for the Games and our goal it to get close to 100," he said. He listed volleyball, boxing, judo and wrestling as leading candidates.

(Xinhua News Agency December 28, 2007)