Judoka Alice Schlesinger is set to compete for Great Britain following a nationality switch from Israeli to British. The 26-year-old Olympian took home a gold medal at the British Championships in December after requesting to switch nations.

Schlesinger, whose mother is English, has world and European medals to her name and will now look to compete for GB in the -63kg category leading up to Rio 2016.

Schlesinger was granted an early Christmas present when the International Judo Federation (IJF) approved the switch on Christmas Eve. An Executive Committee gave the official stamp of approval having reviewed all of the pre-requisite paperwork.

Looking forward to competing in 2015, following two years out of major judo competition, Schlesinger said: “I’m delighted to be able to compete for Great Britain. The set up at British Judo is fantastic and will provide me with a strong platform to go on and compete at international level.

“Having been out of judo for the past two years, I am excited and anxious to get back on the mat and compete for medals. The first fights at the British Championships I was nervous, but I gradually felt comfortable and was delighted to take home a gold medal. Fighting for Great Britain will be a great honour.”

Andrew Scoular, British Judo Chief Executive, said: “We’re delighted to have Alice on board. Alice will be a great addition to our team and we look forward to welcoming her into training next year. She has proven ability at the top level and will be a valuable asset to the team in both training and competition.

“2015 is going to be an important year for us. Rio 2016 is not far away and we’ll also be hosting the European Championships for the first time in 20 years. We believe we have a strong squad going in to 2015 and Alice will only add to that.”