NEWPORT teenager Daniel Rabbitt has been selected to represent Team GB at the 2017 European Youth Olympic Festival (EYOF) in Hungary.

The British Olympic Association has picked 50 athletes to travel to the city of Gyr at the end of July and judoka Rabbitt is one of six Welsh teens to get the nod.

The 17-year-old, a former pupil at Caerleon Comprehensive School, is a member of the Dragons Judo Academy.

He won a gold medal in the Cadet British Judo Championships at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield last December.

And Rabbitt is seen as a rising star in the sport, having been involved in the GB futures development squad and the the Talent Cymru judo programme.

He is joined in the Team GB judo squad in Hungary by compatriots Holly Jones from Abergele and Jasmine Hacker-Jones from Bridgend.

The other Welsh teens making the trip are cyclist Ella Barnwell from Carmarthen and Elynor Backstedt from Pontyclun and swimmer Kyle Booth from Barry.

They will compete against 3,000 athletes from 50 European nations across 10 Olympic sports from July 23 to July 29.

The Team GB athletes, all aged 14 to 17 at the event, will compete in six of those – canoe sprint, cycling, gymnastics, judo, swimming and tennis.

Athletics, basketball, handball and volleyball complete the sporting programme in Hungary.

With many athletes already working on the road to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, the EYOF plays an important role in the development of young British athletes and helps them along the route to achieving their own Olympic dreams.

Team GB has a rich history of medal success at the EYOF, having won at least 20 medals in each of the previous 13 summer festivals.

They provide crucial multi-sport event experience for young athletes, with more than 50 athletes graduating from a summer EYOF with Team GB and going on to compete at the Beijing 2008, London 2012 or Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

The likes of Becky Adlington, Pete Kennaugh, Sally Conway and Nile Wilson all had their first taste of an Olympic-style event at an EYOF before winning an Olympic medal at senior level.

Paul Ford, Team GB Chef de Mission at Gyr 2017, said: “Returning home from Gyr with a haul of medals will be a great achievement for the team but the experience these athletes will get being part of a multi-sport event for the first time will be important and invaluable learning as they look to progress their sporting careers.

“We have seen a number of our senior Olympians go on to do great things after being selected for an EYOF and potentially some of the next generation of Team GB stars will be with us in Hungary.”