Five athletes pledge allegiance to Team GB

Impressive young sprinters Zharnel Hughes and Cindy Ofili headlined a group of athletes, who switched allegiance to the United Kingdom on Tuesday.

Hughes, a former Pan American junior champion in the 100metres, was born in the British Overseas Territory of Anguilla, and will be eligible for Team GB's squad for the 2015 World Athletics Championships and the 2016 Olympic Games.

Anguilla is not recognised by the International Olympic Committee.

Ofili, younger sister of Commonwealth Games silver medallist Tiffany Porter, is also a 100m runner and was born in United States but qualifies for Team GB through her British-born mother.

The two promising speedsters have been joined by Sweden-born high jumper Victoria Dronsfield, as well as Shante Little and Montene Speight - who both hail from the USA - in opting to compete for Team GB.

Hughes is arguably the most exciting 'recruit' as the 19-year-old holds a personal-best time of 20.15seconds for the 200m, which he set in May, finishing just 0.02secs behind Usain Bolt.

"I have always known that if I was to run at the Olympics it would be in a British vest and that is how I have always dreamt it would be," he said in a British Athletics statement.

The announcement of the quintet's switch to compete for the UK could ignite another 'plastic Brits' debate, however, which marred London 2012.

Team GB included 61 athletes born outside the UK for the Olympic Games three years ago, prompting a wave of criticism.