GB Snowboard Teams News

UK Sport, the nation’s “high performance sports agency,” has announced an award of up to £348,450 to British Ski and Snowboarding to be invested in their athletes’ preparations for the Sochi 2014 Olympic Games.

Following the collapse of SnowsportGB prior to the Vancouver 2010 winter Olympic and Paralympic Games, UK Sport had been unable to invest in the snow sports until the full establishment of the new British Ski and Snowboard national governing body.

“UK Sport is now confident that a performance programme to support the most talented snow sports athletes has been put in place and is now able to start investing, in order to seize the opportunities within the sport to win medals in Sochi 2014,” said a statement.

This initial short term award, running to September 2012, will allow the sport to support their athletes for the remainder of the current competition season, and up to the next review point, at which UK Sport will consider the sport’s organisational development and performance progress, and whether to make a further award for the reminder of the Sochi cycle (up to April 2014).

The award is focused mainly at the new Olympic slopestyle disciplines (Ski and Snowboard) where Britain currently has a number of athletes who have been on the podium at world premier events.

The award is aimed at supporting three podium and five development level athletes. British Ski and Snowboarding will now finalise their selection criteria, and begin the Athlete Personal Award allocation process, at which point they will be able to announce the athletes who have been selected onto their programme.

This award adds to the existing £11.3 million UK Sport investment of National Lottery and Government Exchequer funding into British winter Olympic and Paralympic sports towards success in Sochi 2014.

“We are pleased to welcome British Ski and Snowboard to the winter sports World Class Performance Programme. It is testament to the recent progress they have made as a sport after a difficult period. We have, as ever, applied our investment principles rigorously and the sport has made a credible business case for a performance programme that could deliver medallists at the Winter Olympics in Sochi 2014. They have made significant strides on a performance potential basis and this initial investment is recognition of the work that has been done so far,” said Liz Nicholl, Chief Executive of UK Sport.

“We are delighted that UK Sport shares our view of the potential for our athletes to win medals in Sochi and future Olympic events and we are very grateful for the support announced today. When SnowsportGB went in to administration in January 2010 Lord Moynihan took on the Chairmanship of British Ski and Snowboard, the replacement Governing body for snowsports. Since then we have raised substantial funding for our athletes, put a new robust governance structure in place and worked closely with UK Sport on plans for the future. With the help of the BOA we have achieved a tremendous amount for Snowsport in Great Britain in the last two years. With this game changing award from UK Sport the bar is now set higher. We look forward to the next two years with huge enthusiasm,” said David Edwards, Chief Executive of British Ski and Snowboard.

The Team GB Junior Girls are currently sitting in the top three spots of the World Rookie Tour.



The girls at the Halfpipe Rookie Fest finals © Carolina Bagnato

Animal rider Nathalie Silkstone (15) is on top with 371.29 points. Hot on her heels in Maisie Potter (14) with 365.64 points. Not far behind with 335.48 in 3rd is Chamonix Ripper and Animal Team Mate, Ayla Thidling (12). Becky Menday is also sitting in 9th place.

The girls are looking forward the World Rookie Tour Finals in Ischgl, which is scheduled for the Easter school holidays.

Nathalie said "We decided to apply for the WRT in Livingo, after we heard the Burton European was postponed, just for the experience and got caught up in the excitement of it all. Then we were asked if we were going to go to the next stop on the tour, Avoriaz, and then Italy, which is just a short distance away from Ayla. It was a difficult decision, going home or going to Avoriaz! LoL."

"Each country sends a National Team and all the other nations have coaches and even their own bus, so we are proud of what we have achieved. We only have had our mums and dads coming along for support."

"The Norwegian’s have been awesome, but our highlight was seeing Jamie (Nicholls) riding the kickers dressed at the Yeti! I'm sure he must have been absolutely baking in that outfit, but was so funny!"


Jamie Nicholls is a legend!

www.worldrookietour.com

In the meantime, the girls have all just returned from the Burton European open in Laax and we're impressed by the standard of riding this year, especially Nathalie who has stepped up into the women's category and has been riding, competing and rubbing shoulders with Jamie Anderson, Kjersti Buaas, Kelly Clark and Co.

All hopes are now for good conditions in Ischgl, which will see an end to an amazing season in the French, Italian and Swiss Alps. Next stop now though is the BRITS. Bring it on!

www.the-brits.com

Earlier today Britain’s sole snowboarder Lewis Courtier-Jones (Coventry) reached the final of the slopestyle event after posting a fine qualification run. However, in worsening weather conditions in the final he was unable to land all his jumps and finished in 16th position with a score of 39.50. Slopestyle is a new addition to the Olympic Programme and will make its full debut in the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games.

Courtier-Jones said: “I was really pleased to put a good run down to make the final. I had some really good runs in practice but the final was not my best. The weather and the conditions today made it really difficult to land and I struggled a bit. It was really flat light and the wind was really strong. Overall it’s been really great, amazing. I've met so many cool people. I really enjoyed this slopestyle course and I enjoyed the pipe the other day. My ambition now is to train hard to make the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic team and do my best there.”

Thursday sees Team GB snowboarder Lewis Courtier-Jones (Coventry) aiming to finish his Youth Olympic Games on a high as he competes in the slopestyle event. This is a new addition to the Olympic Programme and will feature at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games for the first time. The event starts at 9.30am. Good luck Lewis!

Team GB Website: www.olympics.org.uk
Team GB Twitter: @TeamGB, www.twitter.com/TeamGB
Team GB Facebook: www.facebook.com/TeamGB
BBC Coverage: Daily 60min highlights programme on BBC Red Button, 1900 GMT; reports & video on www.bbc.co.uk/sport; British Olympic Dreams special on 28 January, 1300 GMT, BBC One.

Team GB recorded three top-fifteen positions in the halfpipe finals at the Winter Youth Olympic Games in Kuhtai today.

In the ski halfpipe Team GB flagbearer Katie Summerhayes (Sheffield) finished fifth, while Britain’s Tyler Harding placed tenth. Lewis Courtier-Jones was eighth in the snowboard halfpipe semi-finals, finishing 14th overall.

Katie Summerhayes (pictured), who recorded 55:00 in her first run and 44.75 in her second run said: “I’m so stoked with fifth place. I said I wanted to come away with a top five result, so to be able to get that is really pleasing. Just being here with this quality of competition has been great and it’s all good experience for me. It was great that my family, coaches and so many of the other Team GB athletes were here to support me – it was great to come down to the bottom of the pipe and see them waving the flag. I’m going to watch the curlers tomorrow and support everyone else now that my competition is over. It’s been such an amazing experience here at the Youth Olympics.”

Tyler Harding, who scored 62.75 in his first run and 31.25 in the second run said: “I’m a bit gutted that I didn’t get the second run right, but it’s good to be here and to get my first round down in such a massive competition, my first for Team GB and first Olympic experience. So overall i’m happy with what i’ve got, i’m happy with where I am and I’m happy with what i’ve done. This pipe was absolutely amazing so I did one of the best runs I could’ve done. Everyone else is doing such massive tricks that have hardly ever been seen before by 15 and 16 year olds. So of the best guys in the world are here, doing massive doubles, tens and twleves - crazy tricks! If I want to be up there with the best I have to start doing these tricks so it’s inspired me in that way. If they can do it, then why can’t I? I’m definitely going to go and train hard for Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics and get lots of experience at competitions.”

Lewis Courtier-Jones, who scored 59.75 on his first run and 41.25 on his second run said: “I’m really annoyed with myself but it happens and there’s nothing I can do about it and hopefully in future competitions I can do better. I didn’t do my first run as well as I wanted to so I tried to really step it up in the second run to try and get in to the finals but it wasn’t to be. It’s been great fun here in Innsbruck, I’ve met loads of new people, and I’ve still got the slopestyle competition to look forward to and hopefully I can do better in that. Overall the Youth Olympics has been a really good experience so far and I’ve really enjoyed it.”

Lewis has to wait until Thursday for slopestyle qualifications, with the semi-finals and finals on Friday. There is no skier slopestyle.

Team GB Website: www.olympics.org.uk
Team GB Twitter: @TeamGB, www.twitter.com/TeamGB
Team GB Facebook: www.facebook.com/TeamGB

Team GB flagbearer Katie Summerhayes (Sheffield) put in an impressive performance in the ski halfpipe qualification at Kuhtai to secure her place in Sunday’s final with the fifth highest score of 55.50 in her first run. She followed up with a consistent second run score of 54.75.

Summerhayes said: “I'm really pleased with how my two runs went today. It’s a great feeling to be out representing Great Britain and to be in the final is a dream come true. The competition here is great, all the skiers are so good, but the atmosphere is so nice, we’re all friends and we all ski better as a result. All my family and some of my old coaches were up in the crowd supporting me and to see so many GB flags waving was a great feeling. Now I’ll get a good night’s sleep and prepare for tomorrow where hopefully I can get on the podium with a bit of improvement. There are things for me to work on.”

In the men’s ski halfpipe competition Team GB’s Tyler Harding (Yorkshire) reached tomorrow’s semi-final by finishing 8th with a best run of 63.50. His first run was 59.25.

Harding said: “I'm really pleased, I got both my runs down so I can’t complain at all. I pumped a lot in the second run, tried to make the whole run bigger with better grabs and I'm so happy that it all came off. The pipe is amazing, it couldn’t be any more perfect and with such strong competition it’s a real pleasure to be here. It’s a great feeling to be representing Team GB and I can’t wait for the final. It’s all there for the taking and now I'm there so who knows. I want to try and put an extra bit in for the final, get higher up the course and really go all out.”

Earlier in the snowboard halfpipe Britain’s Lewis Courtier-Jones (Coventry) qualified for the semi-final when he finished seventh in his heat with a score of 60.00 on his second run after a first run of 46.75.

Courtier-Jones, who had previously been out of action since November with a broken wrist said: “There was a bit of pressure on me so I'm delighted to have landed my run. The pipe is amazing, definitely one of the best that I have ridden and it feels extra special to me because I haven’t been in a pipe properly since July. But the wrist was fine and I just enjoyed it so much out there, one of my favourite songs, Goldust by DJ Fresh, came on just when I dropped in so I was pumped and I landed it great. It’s really cool to have made the semis and for me now the plan is to try to have a good first run so as to not leave myself so much to do. If I've already had a solid first run then I can try some cool new stuff in the second one when there’s less pressure on me.”

Team GB’s Katie Summerhayes and Tyler Harding will compete for medals in the ski-halfpipe finals tomorrow, while Lewis Courtier-Jones will also compete in the finals of the snowboard halfpipe at Kuhtai.

Freestyle skier Katie Summeryhayes, from Sheffield, will carry the Union Flag at tomorrow’s Opening Ceremony of the first Winter Youth Olympic Games in Innsbruck, Austria, it was announced today.

Summerhayes, aged 16, was presented with the Union Flag at the Athletes Village by Team GB Chef de Mission Sir Clive Woodward following a vote by all 24 athletes in the Team GB delegation.

Summerhayes will lead Team GB’s athletes, who will compete across ten Olympic disciplines over nine days of competition beginning on Saturday 14 January, when Summerhayes will be in action in the ski halfpipe qualification event.

Ski halfpipe is a new addition to the Olympic Programme and will make its full Olympic debut at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games. Summerhayes competed at the 2011 FIS World Championships in the USA, where she finished 11th in slopestyle and 14th in halfpipe. She has also competed at the X Games and recently won a bronze medal in the Europa Cup.

Team GB Chef de Mission Sir Clive Woodward said:
“I am delighted for Katie that her fellow athletes have voted to give her the honour of carrying the Union Flag on behalf of Team GB in the Opening Ceremony. Katie is an outstanding athlete who has already achieved a great deal in her young career. I have every confidence that she will represent Team GB with great pride, determination and talent and I am sure the Youth Olympics will provide her with a great opportunity to experience the Olympic environment and compete against the best athletes in the world in her age group.”

Team GB Flagbearer Katie Summerhayes said:
“I am super happy to be selected to carry the flag for Team GB at the Opening Ceremony, especially as it was voted for by my teammates. It really adds something special to the whole Youth Olympic experience for me. To be the first Team GB flag bearer at the first ever Youth Olympics is a dream come true. I’m proud to be representing Team GB and proud to be British. I can’t wait to get out there and give it my best shot in the halfpipe on Saturday.”

Team GB Website: www.olympics.org.uk
Team GB Twitter: www.twitter.com/TeamGB
Team GB Facebook: www.facebook.com/TeamGB

We have just received the third video podcast of the season from the GB Freestyle Snowboard Team. This episode was filmed in Colorado during December and the level of riding is just getting insane. You can watch Billy Morgan stomp that world first Triple Rodeo and also catch up with Aimee Fuller, India Stephenson, Sam Turnbull, Ben Kilner, Dom Harington and Katie Ormerod.

On 23rd December The British Olympic Association announced that snowboarder Lewis Courtier-Jones had been added to Team GB for the Innsbruck 2012 Winter Youth Olympic Games.

The addition of 16-year-old Courtier-Jones, from Coventry, brings the total number of athletes selected to Team GB to 24. They will compete across 10 Olympic sport disciplines.

Lewis told SCUK "Can't wait to represent".

We'd recently announced that no GB snowboarders would compete at the YOG, which lead to some discussion, so we're stoked to find Lewis is now part of the event.

The British Olympic Association announced today 23 young athletes from 9 winter Olympic disciplines selected to compete for Team GB at the first winter Youth Olympic Games (YOG), which takes place in Innsbruck, Austria, from 13-22 January 2012.

The Team GB delegation will be led by Chef de Mission Sir Clive Woodward and the event will see Team GB’s athletes, aged 14-18, compete alongside over 1,000 of the best young winter sport athletes from around the world in all seven sports on the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games programme.

The Team GB squad includes 16-year-old freestyle skier Katie Summerhayes who will contest the ski half-pipe event, which is a new addition to the Olympic Programme and will make its full Olympic debut in Sochi in 2014. Summerhayes competed at the 2011 FIS World Championships in the USA, where she finished 11th in slopestyle and 14th in halfpipe. Summerhayes has also competed at the X Games.

There is a familiar name included in the curling squad - Thomas Muirhead, younger brother of Eve, the four-time junior World and current senior European Champion and Team GB Olympian. Eve will be present in Innsbruck herself after being appointed as an Athlete Role Model for the sport of curling by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The mixed gender curling team will be skipped by Duncan Menzies.

All six of the bobsleigh athletes selected have already gained senior experience competing for Great Britain at Euopa Cup level, while Jazmin Sawyers has previously represented Great Britain at athletics, including winning a medal at the Youth Commonwealth Games earlier this year.

Cross-country skier Scott Dixon is the son of six-time Olympian Mike Dixon, who will perform the role of Team Leader for biathlon, where Team GB will be represented by Calum Irvine. Both Dixon and Irvine gained their first taste of Youth Olympic competition as members of Team GB at the European Youth Olympic Festival in the Czech Republic earlier this year.

In creating the Youth Olympic Games, the IOC aims to inspire young people around the world to participate in sport and to embrace, embody and express the Olympic values of Excellence, Friendship and Respect.

The YOG will provide a balance between sport, education and culture. In addition to participating in their sport competitions, athletes will also take part in a Culture and Education Programme (CEP) – which includes a variety of activities focused on five themes: Olympism, Skills Development, Well-being and Healthy Lifestyle, Social Responsibility and Expression.

The competition format at the Youth Olympic Games sees a number of mixed gender and mixed nation competitions taking place in some sports, while Team GB’s two ice hockey competitors will take part in a unique individual skills challenge.

With exactly one month to go until the Opening Ceremony of the inaugural winter Youth Olympic Games, Team GB Chef de Mission Sir Clive Woodward said:
“I am hugely excited to be leading a team of 23 very talented and ambitious young winter athletes to the Youth Olympic Games in Innsbruck. I have no doubt that Team GB’s athletes will compete with great skill and pride to produce some thrilling performances.

“By winning Olympic gold in Whistler last year, Amy Williams demonstrated what can be achieved with dedication, determination and a great support system. Our priority at the British Olympic Association has been to ensure we have left no stone unturned in our preparations to allow every Team GB athlete to fulfil their potential and produce their personal best in Innsbruck.

“Critically, the experience the young athletes will gain in Innsbruck goes well beyond the sporting competition. They will have a very special opportunity to experience the Olympic atmosphere of living in an athletes’ village, competing in a multi-sport environment and participating in the culture and education programmes organised by the International Olympic Committee.

“Innsbruck has a rich Olympic history, having twice hosted the winter Olympics before - in 1964 and 1976 – and I have seen first-hand the fantastic job the organising committee have done in preparing the venues. We are looking forward to a fantastic ten days of competition.”

Commenting on their selection to Team GB:

Katie Summerhayes, freestyle skiing, said:
“I am so happy that I have the chance to compete at the Youth Olympic Games in January. It means so much to me to be able to compete for Team GB and to experience everything else around it. I have been training really hard over the summer to gain the best result that I can and it is going to be a dream come true.”

Duncan Menzies, curling, said:
"I am really excited about representing Team GB in this once in a lifetime opportunity. Representing your country is a great honour and pulling on the Team GB kit will be a special moment in my career. I'm going to give it 100% and I am sure I will gain a great deal from the experience, on and off the field of play."

Thomas Muirhead, curling, said:
"I am thrilled to be selected for Team GB for the winter Youth Olympic Games. Competing against the best athletes of my age from all over the world in an Olympic setting is really exciting. I will do my very best to win a medal for Team GB in Austria."

Frances Slater, bobsleigh, said:
“I am very proud and excited to represent Team GB at the first winter Youth Olympic Games in Innsbruck. It will be a very special feeling to compete for my country in such a big competition, it has been my dream from a young age to represent my country at an Olympic Games.”

Micia McNeil, bobsleigh, said:
“The Youth Olympic Games are an important step for me in my ambition to represent Team GB at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games. I will give it my best shot to win a medal for Team GB.”

Olly Biddulph, bobsleigh, said:
"We have worked hard throughout the qualification period and are well set for a personal best performance at the winter Youth Olympic Games."

Jazmin Sawyers, bobsleigh, said:
"I have represented my country at Commonwealth level but this is now the highlight of my sporting career to date - I can’t wait to put on my Team GB kit and compete for the medals in Innsbruck."

Tyler Harding, freestyle skiing, said:
"It's a great achievement to not just be competing for myself but for Team GB, I am extremely honoured to take part in this once in a lifetime opportunity."

Calum Irvine, biathlon, said:
"Making Team GB for the Youth Olympic Games means a great deal to me. Recently I've been racing internationally at the IBU cup and I feel I'm improving every day. Over the next month I will be fully focused on preparing well and aiming to achieve my full potential for Team GB in Innsbruck."

Katherine Gale, ice hockey, said:
"I can’t believe I am actually going. It will be an incredible experience. It will be truly amazing to be part of Team GB and representing women’s ice hockey in such a prestigious event. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity and I cannot wait."

Lewis Hook, ice hockey, said:
“Representing your country is a great honour and pulling on the Team GB kit will be a special moment in my career. I’m going to try my best and I am sure I will gain a great deal from the experience, on and off the field of play. Also I am representing everyone that has shown belief in me.”

The athletes selected to Team GB for the Innsbruck 2012 Winter Youth Olympic Games are:
Sport - Name - Hometown
Alpine Skiing - Paul Henderson - Edinburgh
Alpine Skiing - Rachelle Rogers - Bordon, Hampshire
Biathlon - Calum Irvine - Aviemore
Bobsleigh - Oliver Biddulph - Bridgwater, Somerset
Bobsleigh - James Lelliot - Poole, Dorset
Bobsleigh - Mic McNeil - Blackhill, County Durham
Bobsleigh - Jazmin Sawyers - Stoke-on-Trent
Bobsleigh - Kirsten Emery - Dronfield, Derbyshire
Bobsleigh - Frances Slater - Ware, Hertfordshire
Cross Country Skiing - Sarah Hale - Dalarna, Sweden
Cross Country Skiing - Scott Dixon - Aviemore
Curling - Duncan Menzies - Arbroath
Curling - Angharad Ward - Tonbridge, Kent
Curling - Thomas Muirhead - Perthshire
Curling - Rachel Hannen - Hamilton
Figure Skating - Edward Carstairs - Nottingham
Figure Skating - Millie Paterson - Rotherham
Freestyle Skiing - Tyler Harding - Sowerby Bridge, Yorkshire
Freestyle Skiing - Katie Summerhayes - Sheffield
Ice Hockey - Katherine Gale - Crowthorne
Ice Hockey - Lewis Hook - Peterborough
Short Track Speed Skating - Jack Burrows - Nottingham
Short Track Speed Skating - Aydin Djemal - Epsom, Surrey

Discuss this in the SCUK Forum.

We have just received the second video podcast of the season from the GB Freestyle Snowboard Team. This episode was filmed at The Pleasure Jam comp in Austria and features Aimee Fullers winning run. In this edit you can also check out India Stephenson, Lewis Courtier-Jones, Jamie Nicholls, Sam Turnbull and Billy Morgan.

GB Freestyle Podcast - December 2011 from The Snowboard Asylum on Vimeo.

We have just received this season’s first video podcast from the GB Freestyle Snowboard Team. In this early season edit check out Sam Turnbull, Billy Morgan, Rowan Coultas, Jamie Nicholls, Ben Kilner, Lewis Courtier Jones, Nate Kern, India Stephenson, Jamie Trinder and Dom Harington all killing it in Hintertux.


GB Freestyle Podcast - November 2011

What, no funding? That’s right, as you may or may not know the funding to help secure the success of all our UK skiers and snowboarders at the Youth Winter Olympics in 2012 and the Winter Olympics in 2014 has been cut, meaning our riders have no sustainable funding to help them further their riding careers to level they want.

British Winter Athletes www.britishwinterathletes.co.uk has been working quietly in the background trying to get the case heard in parliament and have just been granted an e-petition! We need 100,000 signatures to get the ball rolling and hope that we can count on your support. Whether you believe in the Olympics or not, gaining funding and support for this can only be beneficial to the UK in being taken seriously for it’s massive amount of talented skiers and snowboarders.

SCUK are right behind this, so join the movement and get signing.

Show your support on Facebook and let your snowboard and ski mates know about this.

One Snowboarding are pleased to announce that there will be a new process for selection to the One Snowboarding run GB Junior Team this season. They’re now working closely with Snowsport Scotland who have appointed a new GB Junior Team Coordinator. This new position will be responsible for selection applications and coordinating domestic training opportunities for the team, whilst maintaining a list of athletes eligible to travel to Europe to attend the One Snowboard GB Junior Team Camps.

All those interested in selection for the GB Junior Team, whether they’re based in England, Wales, Northern Ireland or Scotland, are to read the selection policy and fill out the application form on the Snowsport Scotland website.

One Snowboarding will still be responsible for organising and running the European training camps, and are stoked that the team will have additional opportunities to receive quality coaching whilst still on home soil.

www.onesnowboarding.co.uk

Snowsport Scotland is pleased to announce that for 2011/12 it will be coordinating support for the British Junior Snowboard Team programme. Working with BSS Head Coach Hamish McKnight, the role involves SSS's coordination of selection to the Junior Team as well as the launch and facilitation of UK wide training opportunities for junior competitive snowboarders.

Hamish McKnight, Head Coach of the GB Snowboard team said: "We are working on the ethos of 'more athletes training more often to a higher level' and I am delighted that Snowsport Scotland is able to offer its support in the pursuit of this goal."

SSS is also working with the GB Freestyle coaches to develop the team selection process and look forward to receiving applications from athletes shortly. Athletes will be required to apply online at http://www.snowsportscotland.org/national-teams/show/5 and supply video footage of their performance in support of their application.

For further information please contact Neil or Jane in the Snowsport Scotland office on 0131 625 4405 or Hamish McKnight at hamishmcknight(at)gmail.com

Pyeongchang has been chosen to host the 2018 Winter Olympics.

The South Korean candidate was selected ahead of Munich in Germany and Annecy in south-eastern France.

The International Olympic Committee's 95 members reached their decision in the first round of voting in Durban.

It is third-time lucky for Pyeongchang, which led the way in the first round of voting for both the 2010 and 2014 Games, which ultimately went to Vancouver and Sochi respectively.

Full report on BBC Sport News.

In reaction to the announcement made by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) today that PyeongChang will host the XXIII Olympic Winter Games in 2018, British Olympic Association Chairman Colin Moynihan said:

“We congratulate the PyeongChang 2018 Bid Team and our colleagues at the Korean National Olympic Committee following their successful election as Host City for the 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.

“As the first Asian city outside of Japan to host the winter Games, PyeongChang will bring the excitement of the winter Olympics to a new audience. We look forward to what we are sure will be excellently organised Games that make Asia and the Olympic Movement proud.

“We also congratulate the Membership of the IOC on this outstanding selection, as well as the Bid Teams from Annecy and Munich, for the quality of their candidatures. All three Bid Cities should be commended for the integrity they displayed throughout the bid process, and the IOC deserves to be praised for the manner by which it managed the bid process.”

Team GB Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games Skeleton Gold Medallist Amy Williams added:

“Congratulations to PyeongChang on their successful bid to host the Winter Olympics in 2018. It’s great to take winter sports out of its traditional winter haunts of Europe and America and give Far-East Asia a fantastic opportunity to further encourage participation in winter sports. I know the passion that the area has for winter sports and I’m sure that PyeongChang will stage a fantastic Games.”

With snowboard freestyle officially now "in" at the 2014 Sochi Olympics, here's a few quotes:

Jenny Jones, Three-Times X Games Champion said:

“I think it is exciting that slopestyle has made it into the 2014 Olympics. To potentially represent my country would be an awesome experience and I feel we have a really good team of British riders. The Olympics is a great platform to share the sport with the world and hopefully encourage British snowboarders of the future.”

British Olympic Association CEO Andy Hunt said:

“This is really exciting news for Team GB and the Winter Olympics. Having witnessed first-hand the huge interest generated by the high speed action of the ski-cross event in Vancouver last year, I am sure that the race format of the slopestyle and snowboard parallel special slalom events will increase the youth appeal and spectacle of the Olympic Winter Games.

“Following last month’s Team GB recce to Sochi, during which we saw great progress being made towards the construction of the Venues, Villages and Infrastructure for the Games, we will now work with the British Ski and Snowboard to engage with the athletes and coaches involved in the new events and ensure they are fully integrated into our planning for a successful Team GB performance at Sochi 2014.”

BOA Head of Winter Sport Engagement Mike Hay added:

“Great Britain has a number of high quality athletes in the slopestyle events in particular and the opportunity for a global superstar such as Jenny Jones to compete for Team GB could bring welcome profile for our winter Olympic sports. The Youth Olympic Games in Innsbruck in January 2012 will provide an excellent opportunity to test our processes in the snowboard slopestyle event and give some of our younger athletes who aspire to compete in Sochi the opportunity to taste the Olympic environment for the first time.”

The Norwegian Snowboard Association is rejoicing over the IOC’s unanimous decision to bring slopestyle into the program for Sochi 2014.

The snowboarding community has been awaiting a decision on the heated topic of the inclusion of slopestyle in the Olympic games in Sochi 2014. The debate is one of high importance especially for the competitive side of snowboarding.

The TTR has long been acquainted with competitive slopestyle on a global level. Events on the TTR World Tour have been running world-class slopestyle competitions reaching back to the early 1990’s. In the 2009/2010 season alone, the TTR held 148 slopestyle competitions on the calendar where 2,100 men and 655 women competed adding up to 5,307 individual results for the season. With the number of quality slopestyle events that are run each year by the TTR and the amount of riders who continually turn out to compete each season, the TTR’s knowledge and expertise of slopestyle is unparalleled.

The IOC official statement says:

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) confirmed today the inclusion of ski slopestyle (men and women), snowboard slopestyle (men and women) and snowboard parallel special slalom (men and women) on the sports programme of the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi.

The decision was taken by the IOC Executive Board (EB) ahead of the 123rd IOC Session in Durban, South Africa, and follows the inclusion in April of ski halfpipe (men and women), women’s ski jumping, biathlon mixed relay, figure skating team event and luge team relay.

“We are very pleased with the addition of ski and snowboard slopestyle and snowboard special slalom in the Olympic Winter Games programme,” said IOC President Jacques Rogge. “Such events provide great entertainment for the spectators and add further youthful appeal to our already action-packed lineup of Olympic winter sports. We look forward to welcoming all the athletes to Sochi in 2014.”

The Olympic Programme Commission (OPC) initially proposed the inclusion of the events to the EB in Acapulco in October last year. The OPC studied the proposal of the individual International Sports Federations and, at the request of the EB, compiled a detailed analysis of all candidate events at their respective world championships last winter. The decision was also based on an operational feasibility study undertaken by the organisers of the Sochi 2014 Olympic Games.

Is this good for UK snowboarding? Probably, but have a read of this article from the UK's Matt Barr (ex of Whitelines) on Transworld Sport and also a good article on ESPN and have your say here.

Laura Berry (slopestyle), Kate Foster (halfpipe), Ben Kilner (halfpipe) and Billy Morgan (slopestyle) have all preliminary qualified to represent GBR at the World Snowboard Championships 2012 in Oslo. The WSC website has jumped the gun a little with its announcement WSC2012. This is because they won their respective titles at The BRITS last month.

However, according to the BSS/BSA criteria they have to also finish in the top 100 male or 50 female riders in their discipline in the TTR rankings by the 31st December 2011 to confirm their entry in the WSC 2012.

A worthy line up to represent the UK which will no doubt be bolstered by the likes of Jenny Jones, Jamie Nicholls and Aimee Fuller qualifying through the other channels available.

Following the meeting of its Executive Board in London today, 6th April, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has confirmed the inclusion of a total of six new events on the program of the Olympic Winter Games Sochi 2014. The newly added events which are FIS events are Freestyle Ski halfpipe (men and ladies) and ladies' Ski Jumping, along with Biathlon mixed relay, Figure Skating team event and Luge team relay.

Five other FIS events under consideration - the Alpine nation's team event, Freestyle Ski slopestyle (men and ladies) and Snowboard slopestyle (men and ladies) remain subject to a further feasibility study. A decision on the inclusion of these five events will be made within the coming months following further work among FIS technical experts, representatives of the Sochi 2014 organising committee and the International Olympic Committee.

The omission would be a blow for Great Britain's medal hopes in Sochi.

Sheffield's James Woods won Britain's first slopestyle skiing medal at a major championships last month after taking bronze at the Euro Winter X Games.

As well as Woods, UK snowboarder Jenny Jones has won the Winter X Games gold twice and Euro Winter X Games gold once in slopestyle. Katie Summerhayes - who is only 15 - finished ninth in Tignes in the ski equivalent. Summerhayes is Britain's highest-ranked female ski halfpipe competitor at 23rd in the world.

In ski halfpipe, skiers score points for performing tricks and jumps on the same course used for the snowboard halfpipe.

Britain has never won a Winter Olympic medal on snow, only in ice sports, although slalom skier Alain Baxter did finish third in the 2002 slalom but had to relinquish the medal after failing a drugs test.

UK Sport had withdrawn funding for alpine skiing and snowboarding after poor results in Vancouver, but had said it would consider the freestyle athletes should slopestyle be given the Olympic go-ahead.

[From BBC.co.uk and FIS-Ski.com]

Any snowboarders who wish to be considered for selection to next year's GB Freestyle snowboard team should email name and date of birth to head coach Hamish McKnight (hamishmcknight@gmail.com) prior to arrival at this year's Brits. Any athletes not able to attend this year's Brits for any reason are free to be considered and should send details of results, motivations, and any supporting video footage to the same address by April 30th.

The first of three British Snowboardcross team selection sessions will take place in Laax at The Brits on Monday 21st March 2011.

Meet at 1pm at the Cafe No Name, which is just above the halfpipe and catch hold of team coaches Simon Whyte or James Foster. Remember Brits Tuesday is The Trespass British Snowboardcross Championships - where performances are also taken into consideration.

There will be two further SBX Selection Sessions taking place at the BUSC Main Event in Tignes and a further session in Avoriaz, where the team train... dates and times to be confirmed soon.

In this latest Team GB podcast catch the team killing it all over the globe. This edition includes Jenny at The Arctic Challenge, Jamie at Air and Style Munich and the whole team throwing it down. Don't miss Dom's double in the pipe and Jamie’s cab 12, what a belter!


MPORA Action Sports >>

Becky had a cool week in half term (Feb 21st) staying in Morzine. She spent the week shredding the back country powder and had a wicked day filming in the Chappelle park at Avoriaz.

She even managed to get dragged in to a competition while there and ended up taking first place in the Groms category in the Chappelle AM Competition on the Wednesday 23rd February 2011.

Here is a short teaser edit of a longer video hopefully coming out in the next few weeks.



Becky is off today to Switzerland to spend the week training with the GB Junior Team in Laax, and will then be attending all events in ‘The Brits’ in the following week.

The planned cut of all public funding for Britain’s ski and snowboarding elite athletes comes in to force this month.

It was UK Sport who decided to completely cut public funding of skiing and snowboarding. The quango administers lottery money and Exchequer funds for elite programmes while Sport England fund grass roots projects in England.

Britain’s competitive skiing program formerly received £372,000 but that has been cut to zero. Similarly snowboarding will now receive no funding having previously received £248,000.

By contrast the ice sports of skeleton, curling, short-track speed skating and women's bobsleigh will all benefit from extra funding.

Women's bobsleigh receives and increase of £500,000 in their support to £2.4m, up from £1.9m.

Short-track skating see an increase in their support of £1.8m to £2.8m.

Skeleton’s funding is up 1.3m to £3.4m.

Curling’s funding is up £900,000 to £2.1m.

In reality this will have little effect on UK skiing and snowboarding on the international stage. As SCUK understands it, the skiing funds went to Chemmy Alcott and snowboarding funds to Zoe Gillings. Ben Kilner's Olympics were funded by Scotland. The rest of Team GB are either self funded or supported through commercial sponsorship and fund raising. It will be interesting to see what will happen if/when slopestyle hits the Olympics with arguably the world's best female freestyler Jenny Jones and regular podium hitter Jamie Nicholls both from the UK.