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Baxter misses out as Team GB grows to 43

Britain's Noel Baxter will not compete in his third Olympic Games © Getty Images

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Skier Noel Baxter will not be travelling to Vancouver for the 2010 Winter Olympics. The brother of former skier Alain, Baxter missed out on a place in the squad for his third Winter Games after a dip in form saw Andy Noble, Dave Ryding and Ed Drake picked ahead of him.

The British Olympic Association (BOA) announced a further 19 athletes to take the British squad figures to 43 athletes with the skeleton and men's bobsleigh teams still to be announced. Zoe Gillings will travel to Vancouver as the sole snowboard cross athlete, Chemmy Alcott will compete in the alpine skiing, while Baxter's cousin Lesley McKenna will travel to her third games to compete in the snowboard half-pipe.

"Within this group of athletes, we have a wonderful mixture of potential and experience," said Team GB chef de mission Andy Hunt. "There are World Champions, but also teenagers who may not truly reach their peak until the 2018 Olympic Winter Games. It's an exciting team - the best of British in winter sport - and we're doing everything we can to allow these athletes to fulfil their potential and achieve a personal best for Team GB in Vancouver."

British medal hopes lie with bobsleigh world champions Nicola Minichiello and Gillian Cooke who will look to add Olympic gold to their world crown. However, Minichiello will have to undergo further eye surgery after losing 80% of the sight in her left eye shortly before Christmas.

Nicola Minichiello and Gillian Cooke are reigning world bobsleigh champions © Getty Images

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''I feared my Olympic Games were over,'' she said. ''Over the course of about four or five days I went from having full vision to losing 80 per cent of the sight in my left eye. 'It was a pretty worrying time but the surgery removed 50 per cent of the fluid, which allowed us to go back on the ice and complete our qualification.

''It was just a random thing and one of the hurdles we have had to overcome this season. It has made us more focused. 'We are world champions and that gives us confidence that on our day we can beat anybody in the world.''

Meanwhile, former British Ski and Snowboard Federation (BSSF) chief executive Mark Simmers has identified former Olympian Alain Baxter as a potential saviour for the troubled sport. The participation of British athletes was in doubt last week when it was revealed that Snowsport GB was in danger of going into administration. Simmers, who was removed from his post last May, was publicly criticised by BSSF chairman Oliver Jones, but he has hit back and believes the sport needs a thorough shakeup.

"I think the answer is for the BOA or UK Sport to take a very strong lead in helping skiing to get back on its feet, not by a cash injection but by a complete reorganisation," Simmers told The Times. They need to put people in place who know how sport works." [Baxter] may not be a great communicator or administrator but it's important to have people involved who understand what sport is about."

Athletes Selected to Team GB for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games

Curling
Men: David Murdoch (skip); Ewan MacDonald, Euan Byers, Peter Smith, Graeme Connal
Women: Eve Muirhead (skip); Jackie Lockhart, Kelly Wood, Lorna Vevers, Anne Laird
Short Track Speed Skating
Men: Jon Eley, Tom Iveson, Anthony Douglas, Paul Worth, Jack Whelbourne
Women: Sarah Lindsay, Elise Christie
Figure Skating
Ice Dancing: John and Sinead Kerr, Nick Buckland and Penny Coomes
Pairs: David King and Stacey Kemp
Individual: Jenna McCorkell
Snowboarding
Snowboard Parallel Giant Slalom - Adam McLeish
Snowboard Cross - Zoe Gillings
Snowboard Half Pipe - Ben Kilner and Lesley McKenna
Freestyle Skiing
Ski Aerials - Sarah Ainsworth
Ski Moguls - Ellie Koyander
Alpine skiing- Andy Noble, Dave Ryding, Ed Drake, Chemmy Alcott
Biathlon - Lee-Steve Jackson
Bobsleigh - Nicola Minichiello and Gillian Cooke, and Paula Walker and Kelly Thomas
Cross-Country Skiing - Andrew Musgrave, Andrew Young, Fiona Hughes
Luge - Adam Rosen

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