With just 58 days to go until the start of the London 2012 Olympics, The British Olympic Association (BOA) has announced today four athletes as officially selected to represent Team GB in badminton at the Games.
The athletes selected to Team GB today are:
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The addition of the badminton players brings the total number of athletes officially selected to Team GB for London 2012 to 121 across eleven sport disciplines: archery, athletics – marathon, badminton, boxing, canoe slalom, hockey, sailing, shooting, swimming, synchronised swimming and table tennis.
Following a very competitive year-long qualification period, the badminton squad selected today contains exciting potential as all four players will be making their Olympic debuts in London this summer. The quartet is led by Anglo-Scottish mixed doubles pairing Chris Adcock and Imogen Bankier. The young pairing have already tasted success in the Olympic venue after producing an outstanding string of performances to win the silver medal at the 2011 World Championships at Wembley Arena.
The squad also includes Londoner Rajiv Ouseph, who is five times English National Champion in men’s singles and a Commonwealth Games bronze medallist. Ouseph learnt to play the game at his local club in Hounslow, just a short distance away from the Olympic venue in Wembley.
The most experienced member of the squad is Susan Egelstaff, who won a bronze medal at the 2006 Commonwealth Games for Scotland, and is selected to compete in the women’s singles event.
The players qualified their places in the Olympic Games by achieving the relevant position in the BWF world rankings following a very competitive year long Olympic qualification period. The athletes’ preparation will be focused over the remaining weeks prior to the Games at the National Badminton Centre in Milton Keynes.
The athletes were formally nominated to the BOA for selection to Team GB by the GB Badminton Board, the representative body for badminton in the UK. The athletes were announced during a press conference at the London Stock Exchange, before being photographed on the roof top of One New Change, opposite St Paul’s Cathedral in Central London.
Team GB Chef de Mission Andy Hunt said:
Kenneth Jonassen, GB Badminton Head coach said:
Chris Adcock said:
Imogen Bankier said:
Rajiv Ouseph said:
Susan Egelstaff said: