The first members of the New Zealand Olympic team to
compete in Vancouver next month have been named.
The New Zealand Olympic Committee (NZOC) today named 10
athletes across five sports, with the snowboard team yet to
be announced.
Among those named were first-time Olympians Michelle Greig in
freeski, Tim Cafe in alpine ski and Ben Koons in
cross-country ski.
The young athletes join the team alongside more experienced
Olympian Ben Sandford, who finished 10th in skeleton at
Torino in 2006. Pending confirmation of a quota spot from the
international federation, the committee also selected Sarah
Murphy, who is hoping to become New Zealand's first Olympic
representative in biathlon, a sport combining rifle shooting
with cross-country skiing.
Vancouver chef de mission Peter Wardell said he was delighted
to have the first members of the squad named.
"With just 22 days until the Opening Ceremony, it certainly
has been a nerve wracking wait for the athletes. They have
maintained intense training and competition schedules and now
can focus on what lies ahead," Wardell said.
"We've raised the bar and I know they'll step up and make us
proud. We're looking forward to additional announcements next
week." NZOC selector and secretary general Barry Maister also
welcomed the athletes to the team and said he felt the
increased support for the Winter Performance Programme (WPP)
would put New Zealand in good stead.
The athletes are currently based in the Northern Hemisphere
and will travel to one of two Olympic Villages situated in
Whistler and Vancouver ahead of the opening ceremony on
February 12.
New Zealand first took part in a Winter Olympic Games in 1952
in Oslo with a team of five athletes. Since then, 72 New
Zealanders have competed at the Games, with Annelise
Coberger, who took silver in the slalom in 1992 at
Albertville, the only medallist.
Team: Cross Country Skiing:Ben Koons, Katie Calder.
Skeleton: Tionette Stoddard, Iain Roberts, Ben Sandford.
Skating: Blake Skjellerup, Shane Dobbin.
Freeski: Michelle Greig.
Alpine Ski: Tim Cafe, Ben Griffin.
Confirmed pending international quota: Sarah Murphy.
Bookmark/Search this post with:
A name, residential address, and (preferably residential) telephone number is required from readers who comment on ODT Online. These details will not be visible to site visitors.