Britain miss Olympics

Great Britain's ice hockey team will not be going to the 1998 Winter Olympics in Japan. Britain's hopes of qualifying for the first time in 50 years were ended when Switzerland beat Denmark 8-1 at home on Saturday night.

Switzerland's victory leap-frogged them over Britain to win the group by one point and qualify for an eight-team competition in Austria and Germany in February, from where the top five progress to the Games in Nagano. Britain ended the group unbeaten, but their chances effectively ended when they were held to a 3-3 draw by the Swiss in Sheffield on Wednesday.