Around 50 athletes will be attending the conference, which is due to take place on August 10 and 11, all of whom will be looking to secure their place on the Team GB plane heading out to Sochi which run from February 7 to 23.

The conference will provide athletes with the opportunity to find out more about the Olympic Winter Games environment, learn about the facilities at Sochi and about the British team's preparations for the Games.

On August 9, journalists will attend the Team GB media summit where they will have the chance to speak to British athletes aiming to compete at the Games and also get to view the bespoke push-start track for skeleton and bobsleigh.

The University hosted the main ParalympicsGB preparation camp ahead of London 2012, as well as athletes and teams from China, Egypt, Libya, Malaysia and Russia in the build up to the Olympics.

Vancouver 2010 skeleton gold medallist Amy Williams trained on the push-start track at Bath and she will be attending the conference, along with the athlete who was the last to win an individual gold medal at a Winter Games for Britain before Williams, Robin Cousins, winner of the men's skating at Lake Placid in 1980.


"We're delighted to host Team GB's Sochi 2014 conference," said Stephen Baddeley, Director of Sport at the University of Bath.

"I hope it proves an exciting and inspirational event for Britain's potential Olympic Winter Games athletes as they continue their build up to Sochi - some of whom will be familiar faces as the National squads of both British Skeleton and British Bobsleigh are based at the University."

Many of the athletes attending the conference have already competed at a Winter Games in the past and will be hoping to secure their place on the Sochi 2014 team over the coming months.

Turin 2006 skeleton silver medallist Shelley Rudman and former world champion Kristan Bromley, who is aiming to compete at his fourth winter Games, will be joined by Vancouver 2010 Olympic curler Eve Muirhead, along with Claire Hamilton and Anna Sloan, two other members of the Scottish team that won the 2013 World Championships, at the conference.


Double Olympian and European gold medal-winning speed skater Jon Eley, 2013 speed skating World Championship bronze medallist Elsie Christie, and Gillian Cooke, who won bobsleigh gold at the 2009 World Championships with partner Nicola Minnichello, will also be attending the event in Bath.

Lizzy Yarnold, who followed up her 2012 Junior World Championship title with a fourth place finish at this year's senior World Championships will also be in attendance and she will be hoping to make the team for her first taste of the Winter Olympic Games.

Mike Hay, Chef de Mission for Team GB at Sochi 2014 said: "The Sochi 2014 Conference is an opportunity for potential Team GB athletes and support staff to get an overview of what being part of Team GB is all about and what the Olympic environment in Russia will be like.

"It is also a great teambuilding exercise involving a snow battle - so a mix of interactive sharing of information and a chance to bond.

"Performance comes first and that August weekend will be all about making sure that Team GB hits the snow and ice in Sochi as fully prepared as can be."

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