With the 2004 Olympics in Athens drawing closer, the British contingent is shaping up.

The selection for the Pre-Olympic regatta, to be held at the site of the Olympics in Greece this coming August, were announced this week by the RYA Olympic Manager Stephen Park.

Lymington's Ben Ainslie naturally will represent the Finn class with Andrew Simpson as training partner.

Fellow Hampshire sailors and avid Saints supporters, Iain Percy and Steve Mitchell, represent the Star class.

Paul Goodison, currently ranked No 1 in the world in the Laser class, will have Portsmouth's Mark Howard as training partner.

A few controversies include the Hugh Styles/Adam May Tornado pairing, who have competed in the class at Olympic level for the past four years, have been pipped to the post by youngsters Leigh MacMillan and Mark Bulkeley from Cowes and Southampton respectively.

This does not mean final selection, however. The all-important World Championships, being held in Cadiz, Spain in September, will sort the final wheat from the chaff catapulting the best of the best to Athens.

Battling it out on the water over the past year in the 49er class have been the pairings of Chris Draper/Simon Hiscocks and Paul Brotherton/Mark Asquith.

Places have been changing at each international series over the last few months.

Due to a good result from the latter in Hyeres, France, last week - resulting in an ISAF World Ranking of third - Brotherton and Asquith go through to compete at the Pre-Olympics with Draper/Hiscocks as training partners.

Other competitors include Andrea Brewster in the Europe dinghy, Lymington's Nick Rogers and Joe Glanfield in the 470 and Christina Bassadone/Katherine Hopson in the 470 Women.

Natasha Sturges will sail the Mistral Women whilst the Men's slot awaits the outcome of the Europeans. However, with Nick Dempsey streets ahead of his competition it is expected that he will be in Athens too.

Meanwhile, Shirley Robertson, who is currently trialing a new middlewoman to replace Inga Leask in the form of Sarah Webb, is secured the Yngling slot.

Olympic veteran Cathy Foster and team will act as training partners.

The Olympic venue in Greece will be ready for the international championships next Autumn with a marina facility five times the size of that in Sydney.

Results of the Holt RYA National Ranking Series 2003 - Round Two at Hayling Island SC

470: 1, Graham Vials/Bevis Field, RYA (1,3,1,1,1,(10)) 7 pts 2, Mark Plummer/Oliver Hawkley, WPSA (2,1,3,2,(4),4) 12 pts 3, Helena Lucas/Jenny Heeley, Downs SC (4,5,4,(6),3,3) 19 pts.

49er: 1, Chris Draper/Simon Hiscocks, WPSA (1,1,1,(2),1,1) 5 pts2, Stevie Morrison/Ben Rhodes, Exe SC ((9),2,4,4,3,2) 15 pts3, Alister Richardson/Peter Greenhalgh (2,4,5,(29),2,3) 16 pts.

Tornado: 1, Leigh McMillan/Mark Bulkeley, Yarmouth (1,1,1,1,3,(9)) 7 pts 2, Rob Wilson/Matt Eeles, RYA (2,2,2,(3),2,1) 9 pts 3, James Smith/Marcus Lynch, West Kirby SC ((3),3,3,2,1,2) 11 pts.

Europe: 1, Laura Baldwin, Spinnaker SC (1,1,1,(2),1,1) 5 pts 2, Andrea Brewster, HISC (3,2,2,1,3,(4)) 11 pts 3, Kirsty Bonar, Rutland Water SC ((4),4,3,3,2,2) 14 pts.

Finn: 1, Ben Ainslie, HISC (2,1,1,1,1,(3)) 6 pts2, Andrew Simpson, RYA (1,2,2,3,(10),2) 10 pts3, Charlie Cumbley, TCYC ((5),5,3,2,3,1) 14 pts.