The Great Britain sledge hockey team will bid to reach the 2006 Winter Paralympics at this week's European Championships in the Czech Republic. The team need to finish in the top two of a difficult-looking pool to secure their place in Turin.
They open with two very difficult matches against Sweden, who have already qualified for the Paralympics, and Estonia.
They then face Italy, Germany and the Czech Republic in their other games.
Among the squad is Stephen Thomas who was part of the three-person Sonar crew that finished sixth in the Athens Paralympics and Nathan Stephens, the youngest member of the squad at only 16.
The team finished a creditable fifth in last year's World Championships, where they claimed a last-gasp victory over Germany, coming from 3-0 down to win on penalties.
GB squad: Nathan Stephens, Stephen Thomas, Russell Willey, Gary Vaughan, David James (Wales), Ian Warner (London), Simon Berry (Hull), Phil Saunders, Mark Briggs, Richard Whitehead, Gary Farmer (Nottingham), Karl Nicholson (Manchester)
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