Brant named for the Nanjing 2014 Youth Olympic Games

Hannah Brant in action at the 2014 Laser Europa Cup at the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy © Paul Wyeth / RYA

Hannah Brant in action at the 2014 Laser Europa Cup at the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy © Paul Wyeth / RYA

The British Olympic Association (BOA) announced today that the British Youth Sailing Team's Hanna Brant has been officially selected to represent Team GB at the second Summer Youth Olympic Games (YOG) from 16th-28th August 2014 in Nanjing, China.

With many of the senior Team GB athletes already on their journey to the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, the YOG is a stepping stone in the development of young athletes and provides a multi-sport Games experience that helps them along the route to their own Olympic dreams.

This will be the first time that Great Britain is set to be represented in a dinghy event at the YOG, in which Brant will compete in the Byte CII class. At the inaugural YOG in 2010, Britain was represented in just the windsurfing events, with Kieran Martin, the current ISAF Youth World Champion in the RS:X class, securing bronze for Team GB in the Techno 293.

The 15-year-old Brant, from Oxford Sailing Club, will be one of 33 athletes aged 15-18 years old who will compete across 14 sports at Nanjing 2014. They will test themselves against around 3,600 of the finest young sportspeople from more than 200 other nations around the world.

For most of the team this represents their first experience of an international multi-sport environment. All 28 summer Olympic sports will feature across over 220 events in Nanjing. In addition, a Culture and Education Programme (CEP) will aim to develop the young athletes as individuals and teach them about the values of the Olympic Movement.

Brant said: "I'm so excited to be part of Team GB. I can't wait to get my hands on the kit and have the chance to compete for Great Britain – it's an amazing feeling to have been selected. I've been training hard for Nanjing and I think I'll learn a lot from the international experience and racing in the conditions that Lake Jinniu has to offer."

Flip Foulds, RYA Head Coach to Brant at the YOG, added: "I know Hanna can't wait for Nanjing 2014 and I think I'm equally excited about it. It's going to be great international experience for Hanna, not only sailing abroad but also competing in a purely female field. Her main aim is to improve on her European Youth Games result in the Byte class, which was third place, and I know she's been working hard towards that."

Sarah Winckless, Team GB's Chef de Mission, said: "This is a great time to be a young British athlete and Nanjing 2014 provides the perfect springboard for budding Olympians to gain valuable experience at a multi-sport event and as part of Team GB.

"Youth Olympic Games such as Nanjing offer the chance for young athletes to experience life in an Olympic Village, mix with competitors from different sports and nationalities, and are given the chance to grow as individuals as well as athletes. These events have helped shape the careers of Team GB Olympic stars such as Jade Jones and we hope the same will be said for Nanjing."

The four sailing events, including two men's and two women's events, for the Nanjing 2014 Summer Youth Olympic Games will take place at Jinniu Lake Sailing Venue from 18th – 23rd August, 2014.

For more information, visit www.nanjing2014.org/en. For further information on Team GB, go to www.teamgb.com