The Spanish Olympic Committee (COE) named the Spain squad for next month's Beijing Olympics on Thursday.

The Spanish will take between 288 and 292 competitors to the Olympics, with the final number to be confirmed once the results of the remaining qualification competitions are known.

Along with coaches and officials, a total of 500 Spaniards will be sent to the Games and they fly to Beijing on two separate dates -- July 30 and August 6.

"Our aim is to provide the best competition possible, but it is an honor just to be able to achieve a place in the Olympic Games," said COE President Alejandro Blanco at the presentation.

Blanco also named David Cal as the person who will carry the Spanish flag in the opening ceremony.

Cal, 25, won a silver and a gold medal in the Athens Olympics in 2004 and in Beijing he will compete in both the 500 meter and 1,000 meter canoeing racing.

(Xinhua News Agency July 18, 2008)