The Spanish Baskebtall Federation has published a good luck advert for their men's team competing at the Olympics in Beijing in which they stand pulling at the sides of their eyes in a "slit-eyed" gesture.

 

The picture of the world champions is set to cause huge offence in China and across the Far East and undermines Madrid's claims that racism in Spanish sport is being eradicated.

 

Earlier this year British Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton was the victim of racist abuse while practicing in Barcelona.

 

It followed previous incidents when England football players Shaun Wright-Phillips and Ashley Cole were the target of monkey chants from Spanish fans during an international friendly in Madrid.

 

There was also outrage when Spanish national football coach Luis Aragones made abusive racist comments about French and then Arsenal striker Thierry Henry.

 

Earlier this year a group of the country's leading sportsmen and women was organised by the Autonomous Community of Madrid, the Spanish Olympic Committee (COE), and the Spanish Paralympic Committee (CPE) designed to demonstrate that they were tackling the problem.

 

The picture by the basketball squad, though, is certain to upset members of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), particularly among the 11 from the Far East whose votes will be crucial in deciding who gets the 2016 Games when the vote is held at the Session in Copenhagen in October 2009.

 

The advert could also cause offence to officials in Tokyo, one of Madrid's three rivals to stage the Games.

 

Adding to Madrid's embarrassment is that the picture has emerged just hours after they launched their international campaign for the 2016 Games.

 

When launching the campaign in Beijing yesterday, Mercedes Coghen, the chief executive of Madrid's bid, said: “Madrid is a city that wants to do more than aspire to the Olympic ideal; it wants to live those values through the Games with the human touch."        

 

A spokesman for Madrid's bid said: "The Madrid 2016 bid is totally committed to equality in sport and promoting anti-racism in sport."

 

The Spanish basketball team opened their Olympic campaign yesterday when they beat Greece 81-66.