It was announced this week that Brazil is to be represented by 259 athletes (136 men, 123 women) at the London 2012 Olympic Games. They will be competing in 32 different disciplines.

The Brazilian Olympic Committee (Comitê Olímpico Brasileiro – COB) expects the total haul of medals to be similar to that in the Beijing 2008 Olympics, when the country won 15 medals including two individual golds (César Cielo in the men's 50m freestyle swimming; Maurren Maggi in the women's long jump) and one team gold (women's volleyball). "We are confident Brazil's performance in London will be good," said COB president Carlos Nuzman.

Brazilian fans will be hoping that at Wembley Stadium the men's and women's football teams can end their long and exasperating wait for Olympic gold. Both have won silver in the past (the women did so in Beijing, losing to the United States in the final) and will be desperate to go one better this time.

COB executive superintendent Marcus Vinicius Freire said Brazil should be well placed to win a higher number of medals when Rio de Janeiro hosts the Olympics in 2016.

Source: Ministry of Sport