As Britain's athletes prepare for Olympic glory, a Brighton teenager is getting ready to represent his country in a very different sporting tournament this weekend.

Chris Hoare, 17, from Patcham will wear England's colours on Sunday when he competes in the international Barrysworld Quake III tournament in London.

His team of four will vie for a first prize of £6,000 in a tournament sponsored by an online games firm.

Chris is no stranger to high-pressure gaming. He travelled to Dallas earlier this year to represent his country at the Razor CPL world championships.

Although he missed out on £40,000 first prize he did reach the last 24 of 500 contestants, having picked up a £500 cheque for his performance in the English heats.

He said: "I had never been to America before so it was quite an experience."

But Chris does not claim his gaming is a sport.

He said: "In a couple of year's time we might be playing another game."

He said the reaction from his friends was mixed. "They tease me but they are impressed when I win money."

Britain's most successful games player, Sujoy Roy, earns £200,000 a year playing Quake III internationally but Chris is unsure whether he wants to pick playing games as a profession.

He said: "It's better than most jobs isn't it but I'm not sure if I would pass up a proper career.

"I'd like to do a computer science degree and get into the games industry that way."