Further wait for eights

Men's eight: Uncertain of final member for London 2012

The British Olympic Association have delayed naming the final men's eight rowing crew for London 2012 due to injury concerns over Constantine Louloudis.

There are also question marks over the final make-up of the women's eight after 10 athletes were named for the event by the BOA at the official Team GB squad announcement on Wednesday.

Louloudis was selected as stroke of the eight at the start of the season but was then forced to withdraw from both the Belgrade and Lucerne World Cups with a back problem.

In the men's eight the BOA have named only seven rowers and the cox Phelan Hill, who survived a challenge to his selection from 2000 Olympic champion Rowley Douglas.

Selection for the women's eight was complicated by a combination of injury and illness, which led to Louisa Reeve, Annabel Vernon and Natasha Page all returning to the boat in Lucerne.

Vicky Thornley, who raced in the quad at the last World Cup regatta, and Lindsey Maguire, who was injured, are also in the mix and battling for final selection. The two athletes who miss out will be selected as reserves.

The BOA said final selections would be confirmed "in due course" and take the full squad to 52 members, the largest number Britain have ever fielded at an Olympic Games.

Powerful

Despite the uncertainty over the eights, Britain were able to name a powerful squad that featured five of the six Olympic champions from Beijing.

Andrew Triggs Hodge, Pete Reed and Tom James are joined by Alex Gregory to defend their Olympic title in the men's four, while Mark Hunter and Zac Purchase will do the same in the lightweight men's double scull.

Greg Searle, who won gold at the Barcelona Olympics in 1992, will compete at his fourth Games at the age of 40 after being confirmed in the men's eight.

Three-time silver medallist Katherine Grainger and Anna Watkins are the main hope for Britain's first women's Olympic rowing gold medal after being selected for the double.

The women's pair of Helen Glover and Heather Stanning also boast gold medal ambitions.

Debbie Flood and Frances Houghton, silver medallists alongside Grainger in 2008, are joined in the quad by Beth Rodford and Melanie Wilson. The women's lightweight double is made up of Katherine Copeland and Sophie Hosking.

The lightweight men's four features brothers Richard and Peter Chambers plus Chris Bartley and Rob Williams.