Special report: 2008 Olympic Games

    BEIJING, July 1 (Xinhua) -- China's top ranked male tennis player Sun Peng, who claimed the gold medal at the 2005 Chinese National Games, was among the 12 players who have been given wildcards at the Beijing Olympics, the International Tennis Federation (ITF) said Monday on its Web-site.

    Besides, Nicolas Massu of Chile, who won gold medals in singles and doubles at the 2004 Olympics, also gained a coveting slot on the Olympic draw sheet. The 28-year-old has slumped to 131st in the world rankings.

    And the 24-year-old Sun had to settle for an even further 485thcurrently.

    "I'm very happy, I'm always glad to represent my country," Massu was quoted as saying on the Web-site. "Playing for Chile is always a top priority for me, especially because of the great memories I have from four years ago."

    Massu won the doubles gold with Fernando Gonzalez, who will also play in Beijing. They are the only two Chileans to win Olympic golds.

    The places also go to Jonas Bjorkman of Sweden, Max Mirnyi of Belarus, Kevin Anderson of South Africa, and Kei Nishikori of Japan.

    In women's part, Alicia Molik of Australia, Maria Koryttseva of Ukraine, Chan Yung-Jan of Chinese Taipei, Ayumi Morita of Japan, Nuria Llagostera-Vives of Spain and Selima Sfar of Tunisia had theluck.

    The ITF places are awarded to players who do not meet the direct acceptance requirements of the tournament but who meet other criteria that would enhance the field for the 2008 competition, said the ITF.

    "Each of the players who has been awarded an ITF place brings special qualities to the field," ITF president Francesco Ricci Bitti said. "Some of the players are young competitors from underrepresented parts of the world, while others are former medallists or long-standing participants in their country's Davis Cup and Fed Cup efforts."