The British Olympic Association (BOA) today announced that 19 skiers and snowboarders have been officially selected for Team GB for the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games.

The selected athletes are (full athlete profiles can be found on www.teamgb.com):

DAVE RYDING (born: Bretherton, lives: Bretherton) (Alpine Skiing)

CHEMMY ALCOTT (born: Twickenham, lives: Surrey) (Alpine Skiing)

ANDREW MUSGRAVE (born: Poole, lives: Trondheim, Norway) (Cross Country)

ANDREW YOUNG (born: Huntly, lives: Lillehammer, Norway) (Cross Country)

CALLUM SMITH (born: Bristol, lives: Inverurie) (Cross Country)

ROSAMUND (POSY) MUSGRAVE (born: Cairo, Egypt, lives: Oyne) (Cross Country)

JAMES WOODS (born: Sheffield, lives: Sheffield) (Ski Slopestyle)

KATIE SUMMERHAYES (born: Sheffield, lives: Sheffield) (Ski Slopestyle)

MURRAY BUCHAN (born: Edinburgh, lives: Edinburgh) (Ski Halfpipe)

JAMES MACHON (born: Sheffield, lives: Sheffield) (Ski Halfpipe)

ROWAN CHESHIRE (born: Stoke on Trent, lives: Stoke on Trent) (Ski Halfpipe)

EMMA LONSDALE (born: Settle, Yorkshire, lives: Settle, Yorkshire) (Ski Halfpipe)

ZOE GILLINGS (born: Isle of Man, lives: Leeds) (Snowboard Cross)

BILLY MORGAN (born: Southampton, lives: Southampton) (Snowboard Slopestyle)

JAMIE NICHOLLS (born: Bradford, lives: Bradford) (Snowboard Slopestyle)

JENNY JONES (born: Bristol, lives: Bristol) (Snowboard Slopestyle)

AIMEE FULLER (born: Bromley, lives: Belfast) (Snowboard Slopestyle)

BEN KILNER (born: Banchory, lives: Banchory) (Snowboard Halfpipe)

DOM HARINGTON (born: Leeds, lives: London) (Snowboard Halfpipe)

The race to make the standard for Team GB nomination and subsequent selection went down to the wire for the British skiers and snowboarders, with Aimee Fuller securing her place on the team with a 5^th place at the Snowboard Slopestyle World Cup in Stoneham last weekend, and Chemmy Alcott proving to selectors she was fit, despite her final race before selection being cancelled due to heavy snow. The 19 skiers and snowboarders will be one of the biggest numbers ever selected for Team GB for an Olympic Winter Games across the skiing and snowboarding disciplines.

Sochi 2014 sees the introduction of Ski and Snowboard Slopestyle and Ski Halfpipe into the Winter Olympics, three disciplines where the United Kingdom hope to make an impact. Snowboard Parallel Slalom will also make its debut on the Olympic Programme, but will not feature any Team GB athletes.

In Ski Slopestyle, James ‘Woodsy’ Woods hopes to be challenging for Olympic honours after last year being awarded the FIS Crystal Globe which is given to the best athlete in each discipline competing at World Cup level. Woodsy also won a silver medal at the Freestyle World Championships, becoming only the second ever British medallist at World Championship level. This season has seen some good performances for the Sheffield born athlete, who will be looking to match his performances from last season in Sochi.

Woodsy will be joined by fellow Sheffield skier Katie Summerhayes on the Ski Slopestyle course in Rosa Khutor Extreme Park. Summerhayes, who is just 18, carried the flag in the 2012 Youth Olympic Games in Innsbruck, representing Team GB for the first time. She is back competing again following a knee injury which meant she was out of action all summer and missed the start of this winter’s competition season. Last weekend saw Summerhayes take second place at the World Cup Ski Slopestyle in Gstaad.

Alpine skier Chemmy Alcott has defied the odds and come back to world class racing after breaking her leg back in 2010. This return to fitness sees her selected for Team GB as she tries to make a mark in her fourth Olympic Winter Games. Alongside Alcott is Alpine skier Dave Ryding who is a Europa Cup Slalom Winner and from Lancashire. Ryding will race on 22^nd January in the Slalom at the Rosa Khutor Alpine Centre.

Team GB is well represented in Cross Country skiing with four athletes competing at the Laura Cross Country Ski and Biathlon Centre. Leading the way is Scottish athlete Andrew Musgrave who last weekend won the Sprint title at the Norwegian Championships and recently finished 9^th in a World Cup race which made up the Tour de Ski, in which he finished 27^th overall. Andrew Musgrave will be joined on the team by fellow countrymen Andrew Young and Callum Smith. For the women, Rosamund Musgrave, better known as Posy, will compete in the sprint events. After an outstanding season Posy, sister of Andrew, looks to make an impact at her first ever Games.

Seven snowboarders will take to the slopes for Team GB during Sochi 2014. In the new discipline of Snowboard Slopestyle, Billy Morgan, who came third in the 2013 World Cup finals and second in a 4* World Snowboard Tour event last year will lead the charge. He will be joined by team mate Jamie Nicholls, who has qualified for his first Winter Olympics. For the women, triple X Games winner Jenny Jones will compete in the Snowboard Slopestyle event on 9^th February. She is joined by Kent born Aimee Fuller who secured her place on the team after coming 5^th in last weekend’s Snowboard Slopestyle World Cup in Stoneham, Canada.

In Snowboard Halfpipe, Ben Kilner will go into his second Olympic Winter Games accompanied by team mate Dom Harington. Scottish athlete Kilner placed 18^th in the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics and hopes to better that performance in Sochi. For London based Harington, this will be his first Winter Olympics after being a dominating force alongside Kilner on the British snowboard halfpipe scene for some time.

In Snowboard Cross, Zoe Gillings comes into her third Olympic Winter Games for Team GB. In Turin 2006 she finished 15^th and in Vancouver 2010 8^th in the Ladies Snowboard Cross event. Gillings will take to the course in Rosa Khutor on Sunday 16^th February.

A full news article can be found here