The first Spanish competitors for the Olympic Games flew out from Madrid's Barajas airport on Wednesday for Beijing.

The group consisted of the women's basketball team, the handball team, boxers, gymnasts, water polo players, archers, sailors and canoeists, among others.

The second batch of competitors will leave next Wednesday. Among them is women's 1,500 meters runner Natalia Rodriguez, who booked her ticket at the last minute.

Rodriguez qualified for the Olympics with a performance of 4.03,68 in Monaco and will now be added to the athletics squad which was presented to the press in Madrid on Tuesday.

Source:Xinhua