At least eight of Canada's star athletes will participate in the Beijing Olympics with serious injuries, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) reported Tuesday.
Among them are Olympic winning gymnast Kyle Shewfelt (two broken legs), world champion diver Alexandre Despatie (broken bone in foot), world champion hurdler Perdita Felicien (fractured ankle), two-time Olympic trampoline medallist Karen Cockburn (right knee surgery) and world champion swimmer Brent Hayden (bulging disc in back).
The injured athletes are on the mend, but the injuries could hamper their performances in August, prompting worries that Canada's medal count at the Olympics could be hurt, said the report.
The Canadian Olympic Committee has targetted a top-16 placing in the medal tally at the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics, up from 19th overall four years ago in Athens.
Canada's 12 medals at the 2004 Games were its worst Olympic performance since winning 10 at the 1988 Seoul Games.
(Xinhua News Agency June 18, 2008)