UK Sport Targets 50-70 Medals Across All Sports For Team GB And A Top-Five Finish At Paris 2024
UK Sport, the UK’s high performance sport agency, is targeting 50-70 medals across all sports and a top-five finish in the standings at Paris 2024.
After breaking into the top five of the Olympic medal table for the first time in the era of National Lottery funding at Beijing 2008, Team GB has won 51 (Beijing 2008), 65 (London 2012), 67 (Rio 2016) and 64 (Tokyo 2020) medals.
Great Britain secured four golds, three silvers and one bronze to leave them third in the swimming medal table behind the USA and Australia in Tokyo three years ago, a record Olympic haul eclipsing the four golds, two silvers and one bronze in London 1908.
Adam Peaty became the first British swimmer to defend an Olympic title when he added 100m breaststroke gold to the crown he lifted at Rio 2016, moving alongside Kosuke Kitajima in winning two consecutive golds in the one-length event.
The world record-holder and five-time Olympic medallist will seek to become only the second man to win three straight Olympic titles in the same event in Paris later this month.
Michael Phelps won four successive 200IMs between 2004 and 2016 as well as three 100 fly titles in 2004, 2008 and 2012.
Duncan Scott: Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick
With four medals in the Japanese capital, Duncan Scott became the most-decorated British athlete at a single Games.
Peaty (gold, 100m breaststroke), Tom Dean (gold, 200m freestyle), Scott (silver, 200m freestyle and 200IM) and Luke Greenbank (bronze, 200m backstroke) won five individual medals in the pool in Tokyo.
Dean and Scott joined forces with James Guy and Matt Richards to win the men’s 4x200m relay while Greenbank, Peaty, Guy and Scott combined to take silver in the men’s medley relay.
Kathleen Dawson, Peaty, Guy and Anna Hopkin won mixed medley relay gold in world-record time as the event was included on the Olympic programme for the first time.
No sport-specific medal ambitions have been given but with all the Tokyo medal winners competing in Paris, it’s a fair assumption that Team GB will be expected to make their presence felt once more.
A 33-strong swimming squad is among 327 athletes representing Team GB across 24 sports, formed of 174 female and 153 male athletes.
ParalympicsGB has never been outside the top five position of the medal table since the inaugural Games in Rome in 1960, and has been a top-three nation since Lottery funding was introduced ahead of the Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games.
Over the course of the Paris cycle, UK Sport has invested £315 million of government and National Lottery funds across 53 Olympic and Paralympic sports, with a further £70 million channelled directly to 1,100 athletes in the form of Athlete Performance Awards.
Dr Kate Baker, UK Sport Director of Performance, said: “GB currently boasts 41 current world champions in Olympic disciplines and a further 61 in Paralympic disciplines, highlighting the immense talent across our sports.
“I’m incredibly excited to see all our athletes in action over the coming weeks and have every confidence we’ll see a fresh group of Team GB and ParalympicsGB stars emerge over the summer.
“We want to continue our streak of top five Olympic medal table finishes, but that won’t be easy. However, we’ve built a world class system with brilliant people which has been fantastically well supported by government and The National Lottery so I’m confident British athletes will write the next chapter of British Olympic and Paralympic success in the coming weeks.”
Kathleen Dawson: Photo Courtesy: Deepbluemedia/Insidefoto
Baker added: “A compressed three-year cycle has also presented plenty of challenges but the coaches and support staff working in the National Governing Bodies have wrapped incredible support around their athletes and they deserve huge credit as the unsung heroes of Olympic and Paralympic sport.”
Mark England, Chef de Mission of Team GB, said: “The athletes are ready and so are we – the team behind the team. I’ve every confidence that we are taking some of the most talented athletes this country has to offer and that we will be a potent force in Paris. We hope to make some incredible memories for the athletes and fans alike in the coming weeks.”
Dame Katherine Grainger, UK Sport Chair, added: “Paris offers the hugely exciting prospect of our brilliant British athletes competing on our doorstep. It’s also the first Games on a European time zone since London 2012, and I have no doubt that the British public will seize the moment to unite and cheer our incredible athletes to victory.
“The Olympic and Paralympic success which we will all enjoy over the coming weeks, and which will become indelibly marked in British sporting history, is only possible thanks to the unwavering support of government and National Lottery players.
“In recent years we’ve also seen some of our most successful athletes utilise their sporting platform to drive societal change on issues ranging from the environment to LGBTQ+ rights to mental health, to female body image, and so much more. Chasing the dream of winning an Olympic or Paralympic title is incredibly tough, so I’m especially proud of those who decide to go a step further and use their sporting success to make a difference in society.”
Lisa Nandy, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, said: “The Olympic and Paralympic Games hold a special place in the hearts of people across the UK, with Team GB and ParalympicsGB delivering some of the most iconic moments in our nation’s history. Sport has the power to inspire and to change lives. Our elite athletes prove what can be achieved for anyone, anywhere when we nurture our wealth of talent. Paris 2024 promises to be a fantastic event and we look forward to cheering on our Olympians and Paralympians, who always do us proud.”