MEXICO CITY, Nov. 20 (Xinhua) -- Mexico's president Felipe Calderon on Tuesday said his government would increase the nation's budget for sports by 25 percent for athletes attending the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

    He also promised at the 2007 National Sports Prize ceremony that the nation's athletes would have the government's full support during the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

    He said that Mexico would place all its administrative resources at the services of making Mexico grow in the international sporting plane and leaving a legacy for future generations. This includes seeking grants, friendly tours and quality uniforms for athletes, he said.

    He asked Josefina Vazquez Mota, the nation's public education minister, and Carlos Hermosillo, the director of the National Physical Culture and Sports Commission, to boost their efforts on behalf of sports.

    "The transformation of Mexico begins with a new mentality, a new attitude and a new spirit," he said.

    The athletes who were given awards at the ceremony were golfer Lorena Ochoa, taekwondo fighter Maria Espinoza, diver Paola Espinosa and Paralympic swimmer Patricia Valle. Taekwondo coach Jose Onofre and the Telmex Foundation received the other awards.

    Mexico will send 120 athletes to the Beijing Olympic Games. In the last Olympics in Greek capital Athens in 2004, the nation won four medals.