HE IS Hampshire's answer to Olympic skating superstar Robin Cousins.

However, champion skater Peter Baker has been frozen out of world class competition - because he is too old.

Peter Baker, 67, is British Adult Free Skating Champion in the over-50s category - a title he has held for two years. Yet when he tried to enter an international skating event due to be staged in Germany in June, organisers turned him down.

A board set up by the International Skating Union based in Switzerland to devise rules governing the event has introduced a cut-off age of 65 for skaters taking part in the competition.

Now the body has pledged to look again at its rules so that over-65s can take part in future competitions.

The decision was branded "ridiculous" by pensioners' groups. Don Harper, of Southampton's Pensioners' Forum, said: "It just goes along with a lot of things that happen to older people. We are just not wanted."

Peter, a member of Southampton's Ice Dance and Figure Skating Club, took up skating as a young man but family pressures forced him to quit the sport.

He took to the rinks again in 2001 to help him get over the death of his wife and to aid his recovery from a heart attack.

Peter, of Lind Road, Gosport, went on to win the British Adult Free Skating Championship over-50s section two years in a row and is the reigning champion.

He is disappointed he will not be at this year's event.

He said: "There are other international events but they are club events. This is the first one that is being run by the International Skating Union.

"I imagine they will not let me enter because of the insurance."

ISU spokesman, Rowland Jack, said that the adult skating competition was a new event for the ISU and the body did not have any current rules covering the planned event.

He added that the rules had been based on existing rules governing competitions in other countries.

He said: "What we are doing is a kind of trial. It is unfortunate that someone wanted to take part but can't because of their age. There are things that could be done differently in the future but we had to start somewhere."

Southampton Ice Dance and Figure Skating Club secretary, Edna Boden, said her organisation was affiliated to the ISU and had to abide by the rules. She welcomed the news that the ISU was looking at ways of changing its rules so that over-65s could take part in international championships.

She said: "Figure skating is going from strength to strength and is becoming very popular."