(BEIJING, July 15) -- The Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG) will send letters to 205 member committees of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to invite them to participate in the 2008 Olympics, according to Vice-Director of BOCOG International Relations Department Wang Shilin.

Although the Athens Olympics recorded the largest number of participating teams, the Beijing Olympics may surpass them.

Wang made the comment when updating the recent General Assembly of the Pan-American Sports Organization (PASO) on the preparatory work for the Beijing games, a Xinhua report said.

He said the PASO member nations and regions have displayed great enthusiasm for the Beijing Olympics and all its 42 members have confirmed their participation in the month's BOCOG meeting of the chefs de missions in Beijing. At the meeting, BOCOG and IOC will jointly invite the 205 IOC member committees to take part in the 2008 Olympic Games.