Double Olympic champion Ben Ainslie's hopes of winning a third consecutive gold medal in Beijing next year appear to be over.

He was left out of the British sailing team announced on Tuesday after it was confirmed last week he would skipper Team Origin, Britain's challenger in the 2009 America's Cup

"We have two other very good sailors in the Finn class and Ben has certainly not had it all his own way, although he produced very solid results in the recent test events in Beijing," a Royal Yachting Association (RYA) Team GB spokeswoman said.

Ainslie could still be on the team but selectors want assurances that he can fulfil both commitments.

"He is going to have a very busy 2008," the spokeswoman said. "We want to work together with him and come up with a solution that is best for everybody.

"He is certainly not ruled out. Doing both would probably be too much for most people but probably not for Ben."