Britain and the United States have become the two latest countries to reveal their teams for next month’s Winter Youth Olympic Games in Lillehammer.
The British contingent will feature 16 athletes competing in seven of the 15 disciplines on the programme for the Games, due to being with the Opening Ceremony on February 12 and conclude on February 21.
They will participate across curling, freestyle skiing, ice hockey skills challenge, luge and skeleton.
The team will be led by International Olympic Committee member Adam Pengilly, winner of a silver medal in the skeleton at the 2009 World Championships in two-time Winter Olympic Games host city Lake Placid.
“It’s really exciting to announce the team and in just a few days’ time we’ll be gathering together to kit the team out and to assemble for the first time before flying out to Norway,” he said.
“This will no doubt be the pinnacle of these athletes’ careers so far and we want the Youth Olympic Games to be part of a journey to help with their development both as competitors but also as people.
“Lillehammer 2016 will be about them gaining the experience of being part of an Olympic environment as well as delivering the best possible performance that they can.
“We’ve got a great mix of sports and we’re represented in seven of the 15 disciplines, with quite a small delegation.
“I’m sure we’re going to see some exciting things from these young athletes in Norway and beyond.”
Among the British team are Alpine skiers Yasmin Cooper and Iain Innes as well as luger Lucas Gebauer-Barrett and skeleton slider Ashleigh Pittaway.
The American team, meanwhile, will comprise of 62 athletes, made up of 42 men and 20 women.
It represents an increase on the 57 competitors that participated in the inaugural edition of the Winter Youth Olympic Games in Innsbruck in Austria in 2012.
They will compete in all 15 disciplines at the event in Lillehammer, which also staged the 1994 Winter Olympic Games.
“We are excited to announce the talented group of athletes who will represent Team USA in Lillehammer, where they will be exposed to world-class competition and cultural diversity,” United States Olympic Committee chief executive Scott Blackmun said.
“The Youth Olympic Games are an important asset to furthering the Olympic values and encouraging worldwide youth participation in sport.
“Most of our young athletes will be representing Team USA for the first time on the world stage, and I wish them all a fantastic sporting and cultural experience.”
More than 1,000 athletes are expected to compete at Lillehammer 2016 in 70 events.
The full American team for the Games can be viewed here and the British squad can be found here.
- By Liam Morgan republished with permission from insidethegames.biz