BASINGSTOKE teenage ice skater Danielle Harrison has been selected in the Great Britain team for the 2015 European Youth Olympic Festival.

The 15-year-old reigning British Junior ice skating champion is one of 15 athletes going to the event in Austria and Liechtenstein.

She is one of two ice skaters on the team, the other being Nottingham’s Josh Brown.

The rest of the team will compete in alpine skiing, cross country skiing and snowboarding.

The other four events in the festival are biathlon, ice hockey, nordic combined and ski jumping.

Over 900 winter athletes from 45 countries are expected to take part in the Youth Olympics, which runs from Sunday, January 25 to Friday, January 30.

Harrison will skate on Monday, January 26 in the short programme. The free programme is likely to decide the medals and will take place on Wednesday January 28.

These events play a crucial role in the development of young British athletes, providing a multi-sport experience as well as a first taste of life in the Olympic movement.

Former British alpine skier Chemmy Alcott made her Team GB debut at the festival in 1999 and went on to race at four Winter Olympics.

This is the first time that the event has been hosted by two separate countries, Austria and Liechtenstein.

The majority of the action, including the ice skating, will take place in the Montafon Valley area of Austria.

Harrison cannot wait to compete and said: “I’m looking forward to being part of a team with competitors from different sports.

“It’s really exciting to be selected as part of Team GB for the first time.”