It exceeds the OCI’s aim of taking 35 to 40 representatives to the Brazilian city, where the Games are due to take place from August 5 to 21.

As of the end of last month, a total of 19 Israeli athletes had book their ticket to Rio 2016.

These included marathon runners Tesama Moogas and Korlima Chemtai, 400 metres sprinter Donald Sanford, high jumper Dmitry Kroytor, javelin thrower Marharyta Dorozhon and triple jumper Hanna Knyazyeva- Minenko.

The half-dozen track and field athletes are joined by six rhythmic gymnasts - Neta Rivkin, who will be competing individually, and the team of Yuval Filo, Alona Koshevatskiy, Ekaterina Levina, Karina Lykhvar and Ida Mayrin.

Completing the line-up are swimmers Yakov Toumarkin, Gal Nevo, Ziv Kalontarov, Amit Ivry and Andrea Murez as well as shooter Sergey Richter and taekwondo player Ron Atias.

Last week, at the Trofeo Princesa Sofia sailing event in the Bay of Palma in Spain, Israel’s women’s 470 class team of Gil Cohen and Nina Amir booked their place in Rio.

The upcoming weeks will be crucial for Israel’s artistic gymnasts, including former European champion and two-time World Championship bronze medallist Alex Shatilov.

The Beijing 2008 and London 2012 Olympian has yet to secure his place at Rio 2016 and will have a final opportunity to do so at the discipline's Olympic test event, scheduled to take place in the host city from April 16 to 22.

"I can say with certainty that we will exceed our goal of sending between 35 and 40 athletes to Rio," Lustig told The Jerusalem Post.

"I’m sure we will have over 40."

He added: "We will also meet our target that around half of the delegation will be women.

"We should also have representation in two-to-three new events, which was another of our goals.

"We will certainly have someone in golf and will hopefully also send mountain bikers, rowers and triathletes."

Israel failed to claim a medal at London 2012, marking the first time since Seoul 1988 that the country had come home from an Olympics empty-handed.

"Our expectations are still general at this stage, but we want to return with a medal once more and are hoping for between eight and 10 finals, which is around a quarter of the delegation," said Lustig.

For the first time at an official Olympic venue, a memorial ceremony for those killed during the Olympics will be held at Rio 2016.

Among those to be remembered at the Olympic Village will be the 11 Israeli athletes murdered by Palestinian terrorists during the Munich 1972 Games.

They were all killed after eight gunman from the militant group Black September, a Palestinian terrorist organisation responsible for nearly a dozen plots in the early 1970s, raided the Isareli team's hotel rooms.

There will also be a ceremony on August 14 at the Rio City Hall, led by the OCI and the Israeli consulate.

Furthermore, the International Olympic Committee has confirmed that a "moment of reflection", in honour of Olympians that have passed away, will be held during the Rio 2016 Closing Ceremony.