Switzerland expects to take home five medals at the Beijing Olympic Games, its chef de mission Werner Augsburger said after attending their national flag raising ceremony on Thursday.

The delegation head told Xinhua that their medal hopes lie in the events of cycling, horse riding, tennis and judo.

The Olympic Village is excellent and he likes the city very much, Augsburger said.

Swiss President Pascal Couchepin was present at the ceremony.

Switzerland made its debut at the first Olympic Games in 1896 and has collected 173 medals ever since. A total of 87 Swiss athletes will take part in the competitions in Beijing.

Besides Australia, France, Great Britain and Greece, Switzerland is the one participating in every summer Olympic Games since 1896. But it is the only one of the five nations which have not hosted Olympic Games.

Switzerland has a strong record in equestrian events with 19 Olympic medals in total, including four golds. The country clinched five medals at the Athens Games in 2004, including one gold, one silver and three bronzes.

(Xinhua News Agency August 7, 2008)