Cuba's taekwondo team, led by 68kg category world champion Gessler Viera, set off for the British city of Manchester on Monday, to compete in an Olympic Games qualifier.

Other team members are Angel Volodia Matos, who won the 80kg category in the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games; Dianelis Montejo, bronze medallist in the 2005 World Championship at 49kg; and Tahimi Castellanos, holder of the Central America and Caribbean title at 67kg.

Cuban sports analysts have cited Viera and Matos as those most likely to win medals and go on to the 2008 Beijing Games; the top three in each category qualify automatically. Montejo and Castellanos will have to take their game to the next level if they want to get to Beijing, the anonymous analysts add.

The Manchester competition runs from Friday to Sunday. Those who do not qualify there can also battle for a place at the Americas qualification competition, on December 7 to December 9 in the Colombian city of Cali.

(Xinhua News Agency September 25, 2007)