Cuba will send an eight-strong team to the World Weightlifting Championships which begin on Wednesday next week in Santo Domingo, the capital of the nearby Dominican Republic.

The Cuban team is led by Yohandrys Hernandez, in the 94kg category, and Adan Rosales, in the 62kg category. The weightlifters had bagged silver and bronze in the last edition of the competition, held in Qatar.

The team also includes Sergio Alvarez, who had a silver in the 56kg category in the World Championships; Yordannis Borrero, who was the Pan-American champion in the 69kg category, in Santo Domingo in 2003.

The remaining team members are Ivan Cambar, in the 77kg category; Lazaro Ruiz, 56kg; Joel Sotyolongo, 94kg; and Yoelmis Hernandez of 77kg who competes in the under-21 category.

Rolando Chang, the team's head coach, said the team would do what it takes to win places for the Beijing 2008 Olympics.

"We want each team member to place in the top 10, which would be a success," Change said.

The World Championships organizers said that more than 200 weightlifters from 76 countries and regions had registered for the competition, which take place in the Parque del Este's handball pavilion: the same place as the 2003 Pan American Games were held in.