THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

LONDON -- British athletes will use Calgary as their training base before the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver and Whistler.

The British Olympic Association also chose Calgary, which hosted the 1988 Olympics, as its base before the 2002 Salt Lake City Games.

"Being so close to Vancouver and Whistler makes transition for time zone and jet lag very easy," snowboard team leader Leo Addington said Thursday. "There are no borders to cross. It is only a one-hour flight and there is only a one-hour time difference to Vancouver."

The British Olympic Association expects the team to consist of 50 athletes.