Three of the territory's top cross-country skiers will continue to represent the Yukon at the national level next season, while another has been elected athlete director for Cross-Country Canada.

To no surprise, ski siblings Graham and Emily Nishikawa will return to the national senior development squad, while Dahria Beatty will again suit up for the national junior team.

The Nishikawas were part of the Canadian team at the recent World Nordic Championships in Italy, just a small notch below the Olympics on the race calendar, and Beatty has represented Canada in previous seasons at the World Junior Championships.

With the Sochi Olympics on the horizon next February, the 2013/2014 ski season marks a critical one for national athletes with hopes of representing the country.

The Canadian Olympic ski team will be named after qualification races in mid-December in Rossland, B.C. and

January in Canmore, Alta.

Meanwhile, Yukon Elite Ski team member Colin Abbott was elected the new athlete director for Cross-Country Canada last month.

The vote took place on March 25 in Whistler, B.C. during the 2013 Haywood Ski Nationals.

Abbott will serve a two-year term as athlete director, and will work to keep the ski community updated on various topics of interest via regular email updates.

He will also sit on the organization's board of directors and high performance committee as a representative of the athletes.

Abbott recently attended Carleton University in Ottawa, then trained fulltime with the Callaghan Valley Training Centre in 2011.

Last year, he formed the Yukon Elite Squad with four other local skiers and he will continue to train and race with them next season.