Twenty-four-year-old Middleton has been selected as part of Great Britain's 16-man hockey squad.

Middleton is one of only three players remaining from Athens four years ago when Great Britain finished ninth.

He currently plays for HGC in Holland.

Jason Lee, head coach of the men's squad, said: "Selection is always a difficult time, but it has been exceptionally difficult this time as all of the players competing for a position have put in tremendous effort during this phase.

"I think they all deserve to go to the Olympic Games, but of course there is only a limited number who can.

"The 16 selected for the Olympics are the same that took the field in the final of the Olympic Qualifying tournament when they defeated India to take the only Olympic spot available from that tournament, so the group have shown that they are able to perform excellently under pressure.

"The group include a lot of players who can play in many different positions, such as Richard Alexander and Barry Middleton, which is useful in order to change tactics and cover injuries within a game.

"The playing group have limited Olympic experience, with only three of them having appeared at an Olympic Games before; Barry Middleton, Ben Hawes and Rob Moore, but this group have repeatedly shown that they are able to cope with new and challenging environments, so I have no fear that they may wilt under the Olympic spot light.

"With the selection process completed, we will now take a few weeks to discuss who would be the most appropriate player to take the formal responsibility of captaining the group."

They begin their Pool A campaign in beijing on August 11.