Special report:   2008 Olympic Games

    PANAMA CITY, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- Five Panamanian sportsmen flew on Monday to the Beijing Olympic Games while internal bickering has hindered the trip of those top officials.

    On Monday, swimmers Christie Bodden, Edgar Crespo, coach Alino Diaz and doctor Carlos Balcazar traveled to China.

    World champion in long jump Irving Saladino is in Macao (China), while runner Bayano Kamani and fencer Yesica Jimenez are already in Beijing.

    Jimenez and Kamani had problems to enter the Olympic Village due to the absence of the vice president from the Olympic Committee of Panama (COP) and the chef de mission of the Panamanian delegation Fernando Samaniego.

    A juridical issue obliged Samaniego and COP president Miguel Sanchiz to stay in Panama after a denounce of irregularities from Miguel Venegas, who had been contender to the presidency of the COP.

    Samaneigo, who is in charge of the accreditation of the Panamanian sportsmen, regretted that former president of the COP Meliton Sanchez had got authorization to travel to Beijing "and we didn't."

    On Wednesday the treasurer of the COP directive council Mariana Lopez, the general secretary of the COP Franz Weber will travel to China.

    Swimmer Bodden will compete in 100 meter backstroke and Crespo in 100 meter breaststroke.

    Saladino will compete in long jump, Kamani in the 400meter hurdles and Jimenez on fencing.