Venezuela president decorates Olympic volleyball teams

CARACAS, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- Venezuela's President, Hugo Chavez, on Wednesday gave the nation's Liberator Order medal to the nation's men's and women's volleyball teams at a Wednesday public ceremony to congratulate them for qualifying for the Aug. 8-24 Beijing Olympic Games.

The teams had arrived in Venezuela earlier on Wednesday aboard the presidential plane and received an official escort from Simon Bolivar International Airport in Maiqueta, along the La Guaira-Caracas Highway, to the official ceremony at Armed Forces Training School at Fort Tiuna, the Defense Ministry headquarters.

A large number of Venezuelans waving small flags had waited to greet the teams at the airport from the early hours of Wednesday.

The teams had won their Olympic places on Monday after six wins at the South-American Olympic qualifier in Peru's capital Lima. The men defeated Argentina in the final while the women defeated the hosts.

Venezuela has 52 places in the Games and will compete in softball, cycling, water sports, equestrian, weightlifting, wrestling, sailing, boxing and judo.

Members of the nation's cabinet including the nation's sports minister, Victoria Mata, were at the ceremony alongside Chavez, who wore a jacket in the three colors of the national flag, which matches the Venezuelan teams' uniforms.

During the ceremony, Chavez left space for both teams to receive standing ovations.