For the first time ever, Bosnia-Hercegovina is to be represented by a multi-ethnic team at the Olympic games, which are being held later this year in Sydney, Australia.

Bosnian teams that have taken part in previous Olympic games have been made up exclusively of Bosnian Muslim competitors.

But this time the team will include Bosnian Croat and Bosnian Serb athletes as well.

The International Olympic Committee says this is the result of months of negotiations with the sporting authorities in Bosnia-Hercegovina.

The nineteen athletes who have been provisionally chosen still have to achieve Olympic qualifying standards before they can take part.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service