Santo Domingo.- Dominican music icon Juan Luis Guerra saw off the Dominican Olympic Committee Wednesdays with an anthem hailing his country's athletes competing in the London Olympic Games, on his belief that "for a nation, the more it sings, the more it grows."

I want to sing to the country, I want to sing to my people, I want to sing to my athletes," said the performer who despite drenching downpour filled the 50,000 capacity Olympic Stadium for last Saturday’s concert.

Guerra, who wrote the music and lyrics of the "Anthem of the Dominican athlete," said he got the idea to compose the theme when read in the press that 33 Dominican athletes will compete in the Games

 "I told myself 33? We need an anthem, we must lift up the youngsters, we have to instill courage to those who go," said the author of ‘Ojala que llueva cafe'(I wish it would rain coffee), who at a lanky 6 feet 6 inches has also excelled in basketball.