Synchronised swimming pair Olivia Allison and Jenna Randall have been selected to represent Great Britain at this summer's Olympics in Beijing.

The pairing were called up after meeting the selection criteria at the qualification tournament in the Chinese capital.

Allison, 18, and 19-year-old Randall will compete in the duet in what is the first Olympics for either woman.

Allison said: "I'm really happy to have been selected for the Olympics. It will be my first, and to be involved in such a prestigious event is an honour. This will be a great experience and will be a stepping stone as we look towards London 2012."

Randall echoed her sentiments, saying: "It's fantastic we are going to our first Olympics and will be a great experience for 2012. I am honoured to be selected as part of Team GB and look forward to returning to Beijing in August and showing the world what we can do."

Simon Clegg, Team GB 2008 Chef de Mission, added: "I am particularly delighted to welcome Olivia and Jenna into Team GB for this summer's Olympic Games.

"This is the first time that Team GB has been represented in synchronised swimming since Barcelona 1992 and shows the impact of increased lottery funding in the context of 2012.

"This shows the new strength and depth of emerging talent in Olympic sports across many disciplines and I wish them both well in their final preparations for Beijing."

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