During London 2012 a host of athletes from Dorset and the New Forest will be doing us proud.Here are the athletes who will be representing Team GB.
Ben Ainslie, age 35
Born: Macclesfield
Home town: Lymington
Event: Finn class sailing
Bio: A legendary figure, he is Britain’s most successful Olympic sailor with three gold medals and one silver
Lucy Macgregor, age 25
Born: Poole
Home town: Poole
Event: Sailing, women's match race sailing
Bio: A member of Poole Yacht Club, the Daily Echo blogger and columnist is the helm of the medal-contending Dorset crew.
Kate Macgregor, age 21
Born: Poole
Home town: Poole
Event: Sailing, women's match racing
Bio: The youngest of the Olympic debutants and sister of Lucy, Kate already has national and world titles on her CV
Annie Lush, age 32
Born: Poole
Home town: Poole
Event: Sailing, women's match racing
Bio: A Cambridge University graduate, she has featured in three women's world championship-winning crews and is making her first Games appearance
Andrew Simpson, age 35
Born: Chertsey
Home town: Sherborne
Event: Star class
Bio: Already a gold medal-winner, having claimed the top prize alongside Iain Percy in Beijing four years ago
olympics.org.uk/member/i/4228043
William Fox-Pitt, age 43
Born: Hampstead
Home town: Hinton, near Sturminster Newton
Event: Eventing
Bio: A British eventing legend and the current world number one, he will be a top contender to strike gold at his fourth Olympics.
Zara Dampney, age 26
Born: Poole
Home town: Ferndown
Event: Women's beach volleyball
Bio: Selected alongside playing partner Shauna Mullin, the high-profile ex-Wessex star forms half of Britain's number one ranked pairing.
Dan Hunter, age 22
Born: Poole
Home town: Poole
Event: Men's indoor volleyball
Bio: Already a vastly-experienced international, Hunter is aiming to help Team GB's Olympic rookies reach the quarter-finals
britishvolleyball.org/Indoor/Men
Lucy Wicks, age 30
Born: Swindon
Home town: Poole
Event: Women's indoor volleyball
Bio: Vice-captain of the team and a graduate of the successful Dorset-based Wessex club, Wicks is likely to be a key player for the hosts
http://gbwomensvolleyball.co.uk/
John Pearce, age 24
Born: Poole
Home town: Bournemouth
Event: Men's handball
Bio: An ex-Dorset & Wilts and Bryanston School rugby player and county-standard cricketer, he plays as a left winger
Daniel McMillan, age 29
Born: Edinburgh
Home town: Sway
Event: Men's handball
Bio: A former semi-pro American Football player, the New Forest lad took up handball specifically for the Olympics
Peter Wilson, age 26
Born: Dorchester
Home town: Sherborne
Event: Double trap shooting
Bio: The Dorset marksman boasts a big reputation, having risen to world number one last year and set a new world record in Arizona during 2012