Winter Olympics: Charlotte Bankes and Gus Kenworthy named in Great Britain squad

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Charlotte Bankes has competed for France at previous Winter Olympics

Reigning snowboard cross world champion Charlotte Bankes will represent Great Britain for the first time at a Winter Olympics at next month's Beijing Games.

The 26-year-old represented France at the Winter Games in 2014 and 2018 but now represents her country of birth.

Since joining the British setup she has secured World Championship gold in 2021, after winning silver in 2019.

In all, Great Britain has named 21 ski and snowboard athletes for the Games, which begin in Beijing on 4 February.

Britain won five medals in Pyeongchang in 2018, including slopestyle bronze for Izzy Atkin, who became the first Briton to win an Olympic ski medal.

She has made the squad after recovering from a broken pelvis, which happened during training at a competition in December.

Sochi 2014 silver medallist Gus Kenworthy has been selected and - like Bankes - will represent Great Britain for the first time at a Games despite being at two previous Olympics.

Kenworthy has previously represented the United States but will switch to the country of his birth to compete in the freeski halfpipe discipline in Beijing.

Team GB's youngest member in Beijing will be 17-year-old Kirsty Muir who will compete in ski slopestyle and big air. The Scot has already finished on the podium in a World Cup and is a Youth Winter Olympics silver medallist.

Alpine skier Dave Ryding, as well as nordic skiers Andrew Musgrave and Andrew Young have all been chosen for their fourth Winter Olympics.

"It's such a huge honour to be part of Team GB again, and I can't wait to get out there and get racing," said 35-year-old Ryding. "As athletes, we take all our competitions seriously, but there's something undeniably special about representing the country at an Olympic Games."

Georgie Harland, Team GB's Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games chef de mission, said: "The squad has proved themselves to be extremely competitive on the world stage over the past few seasons and I look forward to seeing them perform on the Olympic stage."

Britain is expected to name around 50 athletes in its squad and goes to China off the back of its two most successful Winter Games having won five medals in both Pyeongchang and Sochi.