Ainslie is a four-time Finn class world champion

Ainslie has had minimal racing in the class over the past two years because of America's Cup duties, and he missed out on the recent world championships.

But the Briton, who won last year's test regatta in Qingdao, was selected ahead of countryman Ed Wright.

"It's exciting. I hope to be back up to pace as quickly as possible," he said.

The 2006 test event for Beijing was the only regatta in which Ainslie, the 30-year-old four-time Finn world champion, competed in that class.

I would expect and hope to come away from this regatta with three medals GBR Olympic sailing manager Stephen Park

"I came here last year having not had the greatest of preparation for the event, but managed to do well," said Ainslie, who was back-up helmsman to Dean Barker in Team New Zealand's America's Cup campaign.

"Things may well have moved on since then in terms of the competition - we'll have to see."

The event, officially billed as the Good Luck Beijing 2007 Qingdao International Regatta, will run from 9-24 August at the Qingdao Olympic Sailing Centre.

Only one boat per nation per class will compete at the Olympics, so Ainslie's selection is a clear indication that his hopes have not been hit by missing the worlds in Portugal.

Wright finished eighth in the Finn medal race in Cascais to end the regatta in sixth place overall.

Ayton (right) and her new team are in pole position for Beijing

Ainslie won Olympic silver in the Laser class dinghy in Atlanta in 1996 before clinching gold in the Laser in Sydney in 2000 and gold in the heavier Finn in Athens in 2004.

Some 400 sailors from 47 countries will take part in the regatta at the Olympic Sailing Centre in Qingdao, with Skandia Team GBR fielding its full complement of 18 sailors across the 11 classes.

Yngling trio Sarah Ayton, Sarah Webb and Pippa Wilson, and 49er pairing Stevie Morrison and Ben Rhodes will be full of confidence after winning the worlds in Portugal last month.

Nick Dempsey (RS:X Men), Christina Bassadone and Saskia Clark (470 Women) and Iain Percy and Andrew Simpson (Star) will also be hoping to follow up their World Championship bronze medals.

Athens silver medallists Nick Rogers and Joe Glanfield, and European champion Paul Goodison will race in the 470 men's and Laser fleets respectively, with both having claimed gold at last year's test event.

Bryony Shaw will feature for Britain in the women's RS:X windsurfing event, with Leigh McMillan and Will Howden competing in the Tornado class.

606: DEBATE Should Ainslie be a certainty for Olympic selection?

"Really this event for us is about gaining experience and learning as much as we can for 2008, but I would expect and hope to come away from this regatta with three medals," said Olympic manager Stephen Park.

"With the expected light winds here and strong tides, it's hard to predict which classes those medals might come from."

Double Olympic champion Shirley Robertson, who won Yngling class gold at the Athens Games with Ayton and Webb, has declined an invitation to be reserve in Qingdao after finishing third at the worlds.

Robertson took time off after Athens and gave birth to twins before launching a new campaign late last year.

But despite missing out on a spot in Qingdao this week, Robertson is hopeful that the Olympic selectors will keep the door open until next January's world championships.

"It was a short campaign and I hope we get another chance to prove ourselves," Robertson, 37, told BBC Sport.