By David Gold

Daniel Dias_28-05-12May 27 - The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has announced that Brazil can take 19 swimmers to the London 2012 Paralympic Games.


The South Americans will take 14 men and five women to the Paralympics, and although their identity is not yet known, Daniel Dias (pictured top) is sure to lead the Brazilian charge after the Beijing 2008 triple gold medal winner excelled at last year's Parapan Games in Guadalajara.

Quadruple Paralympic gold medallist André Brasil (pictured below) is also likely to be selected for this summer's London Games.

"It was a good amount and it is important to get the best athletes of Brazil in London," said Murilo Barreto, Brazil's national swimming coordinator.

"We have a number of athletes at the highest level, much higher than the number of vacancies that we received.

"We have many athletes in contention for one of those 19 vacancies.

Andr Brasil_28-05-12
Edilson Tubiba, the technical director of the Brazilian Paralympic Committee (CPB) and the Chef de Mission for London 2012, added: "With 19 players we can put a good team that will surely get swimming among the best in London, as we did in Beijing.

"The number of vacancies will include athletes with a chance of medals.

"It is a good number."

The announcement by the IPC raises the number of athletes representing Brazil this summer to 158.

Brazil were ninth in the medal table at Beijing four years' ago with 16 gold medals – swimming accounted for eight of those.

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