Great Britain at the Olympics

Great Britain at the Olympic Games
Flag of the United Kingdom IOC code  GBR NOC British Olympic Association
Olympic history
Summer Games
1896 1900 1904 1908 1912 1920 1924 1928 1932 1936 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016
Winter Games
1924 1928 1932 1936 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014
Intercalated Games
1906

Great Britain is the team that sends athletes from the United Kingdom (UK), all but three of its overseas territories and the three Crown dependencies, to the Olympic Games. It is organised by the British Olympic Association (BOA) as the National Olympic Committee for the UK. While the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and BOA both refer to the team as 'Great Britain' and the team uses the brand name Team GB, the BOA explains that it is the Great Britain and Northern Ireland Olympic Team.^[1][2]

Great Britain was one of 14 teams to compete in the first Games, the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens, and is one of only three nations (France and Switzerland are the others) to have competed at every Summer and Winter Olympic Games. Athletes representing Great Britain have won 780 medals at the Summer Olympic Games, and another 22 at the Winter Olympic Games. Great Britain is the only team to have won at least one gold medal at every Summer Games.

The most successful British Olympians by gold medals won are Chris Hoy who won six gold medals in track cycling and Steve Redgrave, who won five gold medals in rowing. Hoy and fellow cyclist Bradley Wiggins have the most overall medals by British Olympians with seven each.^[3] Steve Redgrave is the only British Olympian to win five Gold Medals in five consecutive Olympic Games, winning his first in 1984 Los Angeles and last in 2000 Sydney. With five gold and a bronze Redgrave is the most successful Olympic male rower of all time.

The most successful Winter Olympians from Great Britain are Jeannette Altwegg, Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean, each with one gold and one bronze medal.

Chris Hoy is the most successful cyclist in Olympic history and Ben Ainslie, with four golds at consecutive Games and a silver medal, is the most successful sailor in Olympic history. As a non-alpine nation, Great Britain has found the bulk of its success in the Summer Olympics. Despite this, Great Britain is the most successful nation in women's skeleton, having won a medal four times, one for each time the event has been held, including a gold medal for Amy Williams in 2010, and the same for Lizzy Yarnold in 2014.

Eligibility

As the National Olympic Committee (NOC) for the United Kingdom, the British Olympic Association (BOA) membership encompasses the four Home Nations of the United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales), plus the three Crown dependencies (Isle of Man, Jersey and Guernsey), and all but three of the British overseas territories (Cayman Islands, British Virgin Islands and Bermuda having their own NOCs).

Representatives of the devolved Northern Ireland government, however, have objected to the name "Team GB", and have called for it to be renamed as Team UK to make it clearer that Northern Ireland is included on the team.^[4][5] There is also an ongoing campaign for a Scottish Olympic Team.

Athletes from Northern Ireland can elect to represent either the UK or Ireland at the Olympics, as people from Northern Ireland are legally entitled to become citizens of the Republic of Ireland.^[6]

Hosted Games

London, the United Kingdom's capital, is the first and, to date, only city to host the Olympics on three occasions.

Games	Host city	Dates	Nations	Participants	Events
1908 Summer Olympics	London	27 April – 31 October	22	2,008	110
1948 Summer Olympics	London	29 July – 14 August	59	4,104	136
2012 Summer Olympics	London	27 July – 12 August	204	10,820	302

Medal tables

*Red border colour indicates tournament was held on home soil.

Medals by Summer Games Games Athletes Gold Silver Bronze Total Rank 1896 Athens 8 2 3 2 7 5 1900 Paris 103 15 6 9 30 3 1904 St. Louis 3 1 1 0 2 6 1908 London 676 56 51 39 146 1 1912 Stockholm 293 10 15 16 41 3 1920 Antwerp 204 15 15 13 43 3 1924 Paris 307 9 13 12 34 4 1928 Amsterdam 234 3 10 7 20 11 1932 Los Angeles 74 4 7 5 16 8 1936 Berlin 225 4 7 3 14 10 1948 London 375 3 14 6 23 12 1952 Helsinki 293 1 2 8 11 18 1956 Melbourne 200 6 7 11 24 8 1960 Rome 252 2 6 12 20 12 1964 Tokyo 199 4 12 2 18 10 1968 Mexico City 237 5 5 3 13 10 1972 Munich 310 4 5 9 18 12 1976 Montreal 234 3 5 5 13 13 1980 Moscow 222 5 7 9 21 9 1984 Los Angeles 355 5 11 21 37 11 1988 Seoul 382 5 10 9 24 12 1992 Barcelona 389 5 3 12 20 13 1996 Atlanta 303 1 8 6 15 36 2000 Sydney 310 11 10 7 28 10 2004 Athens 270 9 9 12 30 10 2008 Beijing 313 19 13 15 47 4 2012 London 541 29 17 19 65 3 2016 Rio de Janeiro 2020 Tokyo Total 236 272 272 780 3

Medals by Winter Games Games Athletes Gold Silver Bronze Total Rank 1924 Chamonix 45 1 1 2 4 6 1928 St. Moritz 33 0 0 1 1 8 1932 Lake Placid 4 0 0 0 0 – 1936 Garmisch-Partenkirchen 39 1 1 1 3 7 1948 St. Moritz 62 0 0 2 2 13 1952 Oslo 20 1 0 0 1 8 1956 Cortina d'Ampezzo 45 0 0 0 0 – 1960 Squaw Valley 17 0 0 0 0 – 1964 Innsbruck 49 1 0 0 1 11 1968 Grenoble 46 0 0 0 0 – 1972 Sapporo 40 0 0 0 0 – 1976 Innsbruck 50 1 0 0 1 12 1980 Lake Placid 50 1 0 0 1 11 1984 Sarajevo 54 1 0 0 1 11 1988 Calgary 57 0 0 0 0 – 1992 Albertville 54 0 0 0 0 – 1994 Lillehammer 35 0 0 2 2 21 1998 Nagano 33 0 0 1 1 22 2002 Salt Lake City 51 1 0 1 2 18 2006 Turin 40 0 1 0 1 21 2010 Vancouver 50 1 0 0 1 19 2014 Sochi 56 1 1 2 4 19 2018 Pyeongchang 2022 Beijing Total 10 4 12 26 19

Medals by summer sport   Leading in that sport Sport Gold Silver Bronze Total Athletics 53 79 62 194 Rowing 28 22 13 63 Cycling 26 26 23 75 Sailing 25 18 11 54 Tennis 16 14 12 42 Boxing 17 12 24 53 Swimming 15 23 30 68 Shooting 13 15 16 44 Equestrian 9 10 13 32 Water polo 4 0 0 4 Canoeing 3 5 5 13 Wrestling 3 4 10 17 Field hockey 3 2 6 11 Football 3 0 0 3 Polo 2 3 1 6 Archery 2 2 5 9 Modern pentathlon 2 2 3 7 Rackets 2 2 3 7 Tug of war 2 2 1 5 Water motorsports 2 0 0 2 Fencing 1 8 0 9 Weightlifting 1 3 3 7 Taekwondo 1 0 2 3 Triathlon 1 0 1 2 Cricket 1 0 0 1 Judo 0 8 10 18 Gymnastics 0 2 6 8 Diving 0 2 5 7 Rugby 0 2 0 2 Badminton 0 1 1 2 Golf 0 1 1 2 Jeu de paume 0 1 1 2 Lacrosse 0 1 0 1 Total 235 270 268 773 This table does not include seven medals – one gold, two silver, and four bronze – awarded in the 1908 and 1920 figure skating events.

Medals by winter sport Sport Gold Silver Bronze Total Figure skating 5 3 7 15 Skeleton 2 1 3 6 Curling 2 1 1 4 Bobsleigh 1 1 2 4 Ice hockey 1 0 1 2 Short track speed skating 0 0 1 1 Snowboarding 0 0 1 1 Total 11 6 16 33 This table includes seven medals – one gold, two silver, and four bronze – awarded in the 1908 and 1920 figure skating events.

Medals by individual

According to official data of the International Olympic Committee. This is a list of people who have won three or more Olympic gold medals for Great Britain. Medals won in the 1906 Intercalated Games are not included. It includes top-three placings in 1896 and 1900, before medals were awarded for top-three placings.

Athlete	Sport	Years	Games	Gender	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
Hoy, ChrisChris Hoy	Track cycling	2000–2012	Summer	M	6	1	0	7
Redgrave, SteveSteve Redgrave	Rowing	1984–2000	Summer	M	5	0	1	6
Wiggins, BradleyBradley Wiggins	Track cycling, road cycling	2000–2012	Summer	M	4	1	2	7
Ainslie, BenBen Ainslie	Sailing	1996–2012	Summer	M	4	1	0	5
Pinsent, MatthewMatthew Pinsent	Rowing	1992–2004	Summer	M	4	0	0	4
Radmilovic, PauloPaulo Radmilovic	Water polo, swimming	1908–1920	Summer	M	4	0	0	4
Beresford, JackJack Beresford	Rowing	1920–1936	Summer	M	3	2	0	5
Kenny, JasonJason Kenny	Track cycling	2008–2012	Summer	M	3	1	0	4
Taylor, HenryHenry Taylor	Swimming	1908–1920	Summer	M	3	0	2	5
Doherty, ReginaldReginald Doherty	Tennis	1900–1908	Summer	M	3	0	1	4
Wilkinson, GeorgeGeorge Wilkinson	Water polo	1900–1912	Summer	M	3	0	0	3
Smith, Charles SydneyCharles Sydney Smith	Water polo	1908–1920	Summer	M	3	0	0	3
Meade, RichardRichard Meade	Equestrian	1968–1972	Summer	M	3	0	0	3

• People in bold are still active competitors

No British female Olympian has won three gold medals. The leading British female Olympians is track cyclist Victoria Pendleton who, from 2008-2012, won two gold medals and one silver medal. The female British Olympians with the most medals (four) are swimmer Rebecca Adlington who, from 2008-2012, won two gold and two bronze medals and rower Katherine Grainger who, from 2000-2012 won one gold and three silver medals. Other females winners of two gold medals include Edith Hannam, Kelly Holmes in addition to a bronze, Charlotte Dujardin, Laura Trott, Sarah Webb, Sarah Ayton and Shirley Robertson. All but the latter three and Pendleton won their two gold medals at the same games.

Robertson, Webb and Ayton, sailors all, won their gold medals in consecutive Games - Robertson being the first to achieve the feat - her second gold occurring in the same event, the 2004 Yngling class, as the other sailors' first.

Mary Rand won three medals, one of each colour, at the same Games in 1964 - to date, the only British woman to have done so.

Most successful in their sport

Chris Hoy and Ben Ainslie are the most successful Olympic competitors in their respective sports, cycling and sailing, as of 2012. In addition Steve Redgrave and Reginald Doherty are the most successful male athletes in their respective sports, rowing and tennis.

Shirley Robertson, Sarah Ayton and Sarah Webb, with two gold medals, share the honour of most successful female Olympic sailors of all time with a number of other sailors. Kelly Holmes won 800m and 1500m Gold at the Athens Olympics in 2004.

As no woman has won more than one gold medal in each of their disciplines, Amy Williams and Lizzy Yarnold (both skeleton), Stephanie Cook (modern pentathlon) and Nicola Adams (boxing) also share the honour of most successful Olympians in their respective sports. Adams and Yarnold have expressed their intention to continue and to compete in 2016 and 2018 respectively.

Archery

Year	Archers	Events	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total	Rank
1900	Did not compete
1904
1908	41	3	2	2	1	5	1
1920	Did not compete
1972	6	2	0	0	0	0	-
1976	4	2	0	0	0	0	-
1980	4	2	0	0	0	0	-
1984	6	2	0	0	0	0	-
1988	6	4	0	0	1	1	4
1992	6	4	0	0	2	2	6
1996	3	2	0	0	0	0	-
2000	3	2	0	0	0	0	-
2004	4	3	0	0	1	1	6
2008	6[7]	4[7]	0	0	0	0	-
2012	6	4	0	0	0	0	-
Total			2	2	5	9	5

Athletics

Year	Athletes	Events	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total	Rank
1896	5	5	0	1	1	2	5
1900	9	10	3	3	2	8	2
1904	3	2	1	1	0	2	2
1908	126	25	7	7	3	17	2
1912			2	1	5	8	4
1920			4	4	4	12	3
1924			3	3	5	11	3
1928			2	2	1	5	4
1932			2	4	2	8	5
1936			2	5	0	7	4
1948			0	6	1	7	14
1952			0	1	4	5	5
1956			1	4	2	7	4
1960			1	3	4	8	6
1964			4	7	1	12	3
1968			1	2	1	4	9
1972			1	1	2	4	7
1976			0	0	1	1	20
1980			4	2	4	10	3
1984			3	7	6	16	3
1988			0	6	2	8	13
1992			2	0	4	6	6
1996			0	4	2	6	25
2000			2	2	2	6	6
2004			3	0	1	4	3
2008	67[8]	36[8]	1	2	1	4	9[9]
2012			4	1	1	6	4
Total			53	79	62	194	3

Badminton

Great Britain has competed in all Badminton events held at the Summer Olympics since badminton made its full debut as an Olympic sport in 1992.

Year	Players	Events	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total	Rank
1972 (demonstration)	6	3	1	0	3	4	2
1976-1988	No Competition
1992	12	4	0	0	0	0	-
1996	22	5	0	0	0	0	-
2000	16	5	0	0	1	1	5
2004	13	5	0	1	0	1	4
2008	6[10]	5	0	0	0	0	-
2012			0	0	0	0	-
Total	65	24	0	1	1	2	6

The figures from 1972 do not count towards the total as badminton was a demonstration sport.

Basketball

Year	Players	Events	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total	Rank
1936	Did not compete
1948	13	1	0	0	0	0	-
1952-2008	Did not compete
2012	24	2	0	0	0	0	-

Boxing

Great Britain made its Olympic boxing debut in 1908.

Year	Boxers	Events	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total	Rank
1896	No Competition
1904	Did not compete
1908	32	5	5	4	5	14	1
1912	No Competition
1920			2	1	3	6	2
1924			2	2	0	4	2
1928			0	0	0	0	-
1932			0	0	0	0	-
1936			0	0	0	0	-
1948			0	2	0	2	6
1952			0	0	0	0	-
1956			2	1	2	5	1
1960			0	0	3	3	9
1964			0	0	0	0	-
1968			1	0	0	1	5
1972			0	0	3	3	15
1976			0	0	1	1	10
1980			0	0	1	1	11
1984			0	0	1	1	14
1988			0	0	1	1	15
1992			0	0	1	1	15
1996			0	0	0	0	-
2000			1	0	0	1	7
2004	1	1	0	1	0	1	8
2008	7[11]	7	1	0	2	3	6[11]
2012	10	10	3	1	1	5	1
Total			17	12	24	53	3

Canoeing

Year	Canoeists	Events	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total	Rank
1936			0	0	0	0	-
1948			0	0	0	0	-
1952			0	0	0	0	-
1956			0	0	0	0	-
1960			0	0	0	0	-
1964			0	0	0	0	-
1968			0	0	0	0	-
1972			0	0	0	0	-
1976			0	0	0	0	-
1980			0	0	0	0	-
1984			0	0	0	0	-
1988			0	0	0	0	-
1992			0	1	0	1	-
1996			0	0	0	0	-
2000			0	1	1	2	-
2004			0	1	2	3	-
2008			1	1	1	3	-
2012	15	13	2	1	1	4	-
Total			3	5	5	13	-

Cricket

Great Britain and France were the only two nations to compete in the only Olympic cricket match, in 1900. The British team won, making them the only nation to win an Olympic cricket contest and the only Olympic gold medalists in cricket.

Year	Cricketers	Events	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total	Rank
1900	12	1	1	0	0	1	1

Cycling

Year	Cyclists	Events	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total	Rank
1896	2	4	0	1	1	2	4
1900	Did not compete
1904
1908	38	7	5	3	1	9	1
1912			0	2	0	2	3
1920			1	3	1	5	1
1924			0	1	1	2	5
1928			0	3	1	4	5
1932			0	1	1	2	5
1936			0	0	1	1	6
1948			0	3	2	5	4
1952			0	0	1	1	6
1956			0	1	2	3	5
1960			0	0	0	0	-
1964			0	0	0	0	-
1968			0	0	0	0	-
1972			0	0	1	1	11
1976			0	0	1	1	12
1980			0	0	0	0	-
1984			0	0	0	0	-
1988			0	0	0	0	-
1992			1	0	0	1	4
1996			0	0	2	2	12
2000			1	1	2	4	6
2004			2	1	1	4	3
2008	25[12]	17[12]	8	4	2	14	1[13]
2012			8[14]	2[14]	2[14]	12[14]	1[14]
Total			26	26	23	75	3

Diving

Great Britain made its Olympic diving debut in 1908.

Year	Divers	Events	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total	Rank
1904	Did not compete
1908	16	2	0	0	0	0	—
1912			0	0	1	1	3
1920			0	1	0	1	4
1924			0	0	1	1	4
1928			0	0	0	0	-
1932	Did not compete
1936			0	0	0	0	-
1948			0	0	0	0	-
1952			0	0	0	0	-
1956			0	0	0	0	-
1960			0	0	2	2	3
1964	6		0	0	0	0	-
1968	5		0	0	0	0	-
1972	8		0	0	0	0	-
1976	4		0	0	0	0	-
1980	6		0	0	0	0	-
1984	6		0	0	0	0	-
1988	5		0	0	0	0	-
1992	4		0	0	0	0	-
1996	5		0	0	0	0	-
2000	8		0	0	0	0	-
2004	7		0	1	0	1	6
2008	10[15]	8[15]	0	0	0	0	-
2012			0	0	1	1
Total			0	2	5	7	16

Equestrian

Great Britain first competed in the 1912 competition having not competed in the first event held in 1900.

Year	Riders	Events	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total	Rank
1912			0	0	0	0	-
1920			0	0	0	0	-
1924			0	0	0	0	-
1928			0	0	0	0	-
1932			0	0	0	0	-
1936			0	0	1	1	7
1948			0	0	1	1	7
1952			1	0	0	1	3
1956			1	0	2	3	3
1960			0	0	1	1	7
1964			0	0	1	1	8
1968			1	2	1	4	1
1972			2	1	0	3	2
1976			0	0	0	0	-
1980	Did not compete
1984			0	2	1	3	4
1988			0	2	1	3	4
1992			0	0	0	0	-
1996			0	0	0	0	-
2000			0	1	0	1	5
2004			1	1	1	3	3
2008	12[16]	6[16]	0	0	2	2	7[17]
2012			3	1	1	5	1
Total			9	10	13	32	8

Fencing

Great Britain won its first fencing medal, a silver, in 1908 at the London Games.

Year	Fencers	Events	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total	Rank
1896	1	1	0	0	0	0	—
1900	1	1	0	0	0	0	—
1904	Did not compete
1908	23	4	0	1	0	1	3
1912			0	1	0	1	5
1920			0	0	0	0	-
1924			0	1	0	1	6
1928			0	1	0	1	5
1932			0	1	0	1	6
1936			0	0	0	0	-
1948			0	0	0	0	-
1952			0	0	0	0	-
1956			1	0	0	1	4
1960			0	2	0	2	5
1964			0	1	0	1	7
1968			0	0	0	0	-
1972			0	0	0	0	-
1976			0	0	0	0	-
1980			0	0	0	0	-
1984			0	0	0	0	-
1988			0	0	0	0	-
1992			0	0	0	0	-
1996			0	0	0	0	-
2000			0	0	0	0	-
2004			0	0	0	0	-
2008	3	3	0	0	0	0	-
2012			0	0	0	0	-
Total			1	8	0	9	16

Figure skating

Great Britain hosted the first Olympic figure skating contests in 1908.

Year	Skaters	Events	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total	Rank
1908	11	4	1	2	3	6	1

Football

Great Britain and Ireland – now represented separately by Team Ireland and Team Great Britain – was one of three nations to play in the inaugural football tournament, winning their only match to take the first Olympic gold medal in football. They competed in the nine Olympics in the table below.

Year	Footballers	Events	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total	Rank
1896	No competition
1900	11	1	1	0	0	1	1
1904	Did not compete
1908	11	1	1	0	0	1	1
1912			1	0	0	1	1
1920			0	0	0	0	-
1924	Did not compete
1928
1932	No Competition
1936			0	0	0	0	-
1948			0	0	0	0	-
1952			0	0	0	0	-
1956			0	0	0	0	-
1960			0	0	0	0	-
1964–2008	Did not compete
2012		2	0	0	0	0	-
Total			3	0	0	3	2

In 1974 the FA abolished the distinction between "amateur" and "professional" footballers in England. This ended the practice of "shamateurism", where players claimed to be amateur but still got irregular payments from their clubs. Also, Great Britain is not a member of FIFA and its athletes participate in international football competitions as members of the national teams of the home nations (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland), none of which have National Olympic Committees. As a result, Great Britain usually does not participate in Olympic qualifying tournaments.

Golf

Great Britain was one of four nations to play golf at the first Olympic golf events in 1900. They did not compete in the only other Olympic golf competition held in 1904.

Year	Golfers	Events	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total	Rank
1900	4	1	0	1	1	2	2
1904	Did not compete
Total	4	1	0	1	1	2	3

Gymnastics

Great Britain's first gymnastics medal came in 1908 with a silver in the men's individual all-around. Until 2008, Great Britain's last medal for gymnastics was a Bronze in the Women's all-round team event in 1928. At the 2012 Summer Games in London, Great Britain equaled its tally for all previous games combined, winning 4 medals to bring their all-time total to eight.

Year	Gymnasts	Events	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total	Rank
1896	1	1	0	0	0	0	-
1900	5	1	0	0	0	0	-
1904	Did not compete
1908	65	2	0	1	0	1	3
1912	23		0	0	1	1	8
1920	27		0	0	0	0	-
1924	27		0	0	0	0	-
1928			0	0	1	1	6
2008	9		0	0	1	1	13
2012	10		0	1	3	4	12
Total			0	2	6	8	33

Handball

Great Britain's men's and women's handball teams were allowed to take up host places at the 2012 Olympics. This is the only time that Great Britain has competed in handball at the Olympics.

Year	Players	Events	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total	Rank
2012	30	2	0	0	0	0	-

Hockey

Great Britain hosted the first Olympic field hockey tournament in 1908.

Year	Players	Events	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total	Rank
1908	45	1	1	1	2	4	1
1912	No hockey tournament
1920		1	1	0	0	1	1
1924	No hockey tournament
1928	Did not compete
1932			0	0	0	0	-
1936	Did not compete
1948		1	0	1	0	1	2
1952		1	0	0	1	1	2
1956			0	0	0	0	-
1960			0	0	0	0	-
1964		1	0	0	0	0	-
1968			0	0	0	0	-
1972		1	0	0	0	0	-
1976	Did not compete
1980
1984			0	0	1	1	4
1988		2	1	0	0	1	2
1992		2	0	0	1	1	4
1996		2	0	0	0	0	-
2000		2	0	0	0	0	-
2004		1	0	0	0	0	-
2008		2	0	0	0	0	-
2012		2	0	0	1	1	5
Total			3	2	6	11	-

Jeu de paume

Great Britain hosted the only Olympic jeu de paume tournament in 1908.

Year	Players	Events	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total	Rank
1908	9	1	0	1	1	2	2

Judo

Great Britain has competed in all judo events held at the Summer Olympics since judo made its full debut as an Olympic sport in 1964. Although Great Britain has won 18 judo medals, none have been gold.

Year	Players	Events	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total	Rank
1964		4	0	0	0	0	-
1968	No Judo tournament
1972		6	0	1	2	3	4
1976		6	0	1	1	2	5
1980		8	0	1	1	2	8
1984		8	0	1	2	3	5
1988		7	0	0	1	1	11
1992		14	0	2	2	4	11
1996		14	0	0	0	0	-
2000		14	0	1	0	1	12
2004		14	0	0	0	0	-
2008		14	0	0	0	0	-
2012		14	0	1	1	2	13
Total	'	'	0	8	10	18	-

Lacrosse

Great Britain's Olympic lacrosse debut was in 1908.

Year	Players	Events	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total	Rank
1908	12	1	0	1	0	1	2

Modern Pentathlon

Great Britain's Olympic modern pentathlon debut was in 1912 when the it was first included in the Olympics. Since the women's event was added in 2000, Great Britain has medalled in that event at every Games. The most successful Games was in 2000, when Great Britain won the gold and bronze medals.

Year	Pentathletes	Events	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total	Rank
1912	3	1	0	0	0	0	-
1920	4	1	0	0	0	0	-
1924			0	0	0	0	-
1928			0	0	0	0	-
1932	3	1	0	0	0	0	-
1936			0	0	0	0	-
1948			0	0	0	0	-
1952			0	0	0	0	-
1956			0	0	0	0	-
1960			0	0	0	0	-
1964			0	0	0	0	-
1968	3	2	0	0	0	0	-
1972	3	2	0	0	0	0	-
1976	3	2	1	0	0	1	1
1980	3	2	0	0	0	0	-
1984	3	2	0	0	0	0	-
1988	3	2	0	0	1	1	3
1992	3	2	0	0	0	0	-
1996	1	1	0	0	0	0	-
2000	2	1	1	0	1	2	1
2004	1	1	0	0	1	1	5
2008	4	2	0	1	0	1	4
2012	4	2	0	1	0	1	-
Total			2	2	3	7	7

Polo

Great Britain was one of four nations to compete in the debut of Olympic polo. Three of the five teams had British players, and those three teams took both the top two places and split the third place with the Mexican team.

Year	Players	Events	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total	Rank
1900	7	As part of the Mixed team
1904	No competition
1908	12	1	1	2	0	3	1
1912	No competition
1920			1	0	0	1	1
1924			0	0	1	1	3
1928-1932	No competition
1936			0	1	0	1	2
1948–Present	No competition
Total			2	3	1	6	1

Rackets

Great Britain hosted the only Olympic rackets tournament, in 1908.

Year	Players	Events	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total	Rank
1908	7	2	2	2	3	7	1

Rowing

Britain took a bronze medal in the first Olympic rowing competition, in 1900.

Year	Rowers	Events	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total	Rank
1900	1	1	0	0	1	1	6
1904	Did not compete
1908	30	4	4	3	1	8	1
1912	24	3	2	2	0	4	1
1920	10	2	0	2	0	2	4
1924	19	4	2	0	0	2	3
1928	18	5	1	2	1	4	2
1932	16	4	2	0	0	2	2
1936	18	5	1	1	0	2	2
1948	26	7	2	1	0	3	1
1952	23	6	0	0	0	0	-
1956	12	3	0	0	0	0	-
1960	26	7	0	0	0	0	-
1964	8	3	0	1	0	1	7
1968	11	2	0	0	0	0	-
1972	17	6	0	0	0	0	-
1976	31	8	0	2	0	2	7
1980	43	11	0	1	2	3	6
1984	42	10	1	0	0	1	5
1988	30	8	1	0	1	2	5
1992	46	11	2	0	0	2	4
1996	37	9	1	0	1	2	7
2000	37	10	2	1	0	3	3
2004	37	11	1	2	1	4	3
2008	45	12	2	2	2	6	1
2012	47	13	4	2	3	9	1
Total			28	22	13	63	3

Rugby

Britain took a silver medal in the first Olympic rugby competition, in 1900.

Year	Players	Events	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total	Rank
1896	No competition
1900	15	1	0	1	0	1	2
1904	No competition
1908	15	1	0	1	0	1	2
1912	No competition
1920-1924	Did not compete
1928-2012	No competition
Total	30	1	0	2	0	2	4

Sailing

Britain took three gold medals in the first Olympic sailing events, in 1900.

Year	Sailors	Events	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total	Rank
1896	No competition
1900	8	7	3	0	1	4	2
1904	No competition
1908	40	4	4	1	1	6	1
1912	Did not compete
1920			2	0	0	2	4
1924			0	1	0	1	3
1928			0	0	0	0	-
1932			0	1	0	1	5
1936			1	0	1	2	2
1948			1	0	0	1	3
1952		5	0	1	0	1	6
1956		5	0	1	2	3	5
1960		5	0	0	0	0	-
1964		5	0	1	0	1	8
1968		5	1	0	1	2	2
1972		6	1	1	0	2	2
1976		6	1	1	0	2	2
1980	Did not compete
1984		7	0	0	1	1	8
1988		8	1	0	0	1	5
1992		10	0	0	1	1	9
1996		10	0	2	0	2	9
2000		11	3	2	0	5	1
2004		11	2	1	2	5	1
2008		11	4	1	1	6	1
2012		10	1	4	0	5	3
Total			25	18	11	54	1

Shooting

Great Britain's first shooting medals came when the nation hosted the 1908 Games, at which the British shooters dominated the competitions. There were 215 shooters from 14 nations in the shooting events, including 67 shooters from Great Britain.

Year	Shooters	Events	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total	Rank
1896	2	4	0	0	0	0	-
1900	1	1	0	0	0	0	-
1904	Sport not held
1908	67	15	6	7	8	21	1
1912			1	4	4	9	4
1920			0	0	0	0	-
1924			1	2	0	3	3
1928	Sport not held
1932			0	0	0	0	-
1936			0	0	0	0	-
1948			0	0	0	0	-
1952			0	0	0	0	-
1956			0	0	0	0	-
1960			0	0	0	0	-
1964			0	0	0	0	-
1968			1	0	0	1	4
1972			0	0	1	1	16
1976			0	0	0	0	-
1980			0	0	0	0	-
1984			1	0	3	4	5
1988			1	1	0	2	4
1992			0	0	0	0	-
1996			0	0	0	0	-
2000			1	1	0	2	6
2004			0	0	0	0	-
2008	5	4	0	0	0	0	-
2012			1	0	0	1	5
Total			13	15	16	44	6

Swimming

Great Britain was the third most successful nation in swimming in 2008, with 2 golds, 2 silvers and 2 bronzes, with Rebecca Adlington winning two of these, making her the most successful female British swimmer in 100 years.^[18]

Year	Swimmers	Events	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total	Rank
1900	7	5	2	0	1	3	1
1904	Did not compete
1908	28	6	4	2	1	7	1
1912			1	2	3	6	5
1920			0	1	1	2	3
1924			1	2	1	4	2
1928			0	2	2	4	7
1932			0	0	2	2	6
1936			0	0	0	0	-
1948			0	0	1	1	7
1952			0	0	1	1	9
1956			1	0	1	2	4
1960			1	1	1	3	3
1964			0	1	0	1	6
1968			0	1	0	1	9
1972			0	1	0	1	10
1976			1	1	1	3	5
1980			1	3	1	5	4
1984			0	1	4	5	6
1988			1	1	1	3	5
1992			0	0	1	1	16
1996			0	1	1	2	12
2000			0	0	0	0	-
2004			0	0	2	2	18
2008	37	34	2	2	2	6	3
2012			0	1	2	3	14
Total			15	23	30	68	7

Taekwondo

Great Britain have competed in all four taekwondo competitions that have taken place since 2000. Their best result is a gold and bronze in 2012.

Year	Athletes	Events	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total	Rank
2000	2	2	0	0	0	0	-
2004	4	4	0	0	0	0	-
2008	3	3	0	0	1	1	15
2012	4	4	1	0	1	2	5
Total	13	13	1	0	2	3	-

Tennis

John Pius Boland dominated the 1896 tennis tournaments. Tennis in 1896 was a sport which allowed mixed teams, and both Boland and George S. Robertson joined partners from other nations to win their medals. Britain again dominated in 1900, taking all four gold medals and adding 7 other medals (3 as part of mixed teams).

Year	Players	Events	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total	Rank
1896	2	1	1	0	0	1	2
1900	6	4	4	1	3	8	1
1904	Did not compete
1908	22	6	6	5	4	15	1
1912			2	2	2	6	2
1920			2	3	1	6	1
1924			0	1	2	3	3
1924-1964	No competition held
1968 (demonstration)	Did not compete
1972-1980	No competition held
1984 (demonstration)			0	0	0	0	-
1988			0	0	0	0	-
1992			0	0	0	0	-
1996			0	1	0	1	5
2000			0	0	0	0	-
2004			0	0	0	0	-
2008	2	2	0	0	0	0	-
2012	8	5	1	1	0	2	2
Total			16	14	12	42	2

Triathlon

Great Britain have competed in all four triathlon competitions that have taken place since 2000. Their best finish is a 1st and 3rd place in the men's triathlon, and 5th place in the women's triathlon, in 2012.

Year	Athletes	Events	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total	Rank
2000	6	2	0	0	0	0	-
2004	6	2	0	0	0	0	-
2008	5	2	0	0	0	0	-
2012	6	2	1	0	1	2	1
Total	23	8	1	0	1	2	-

Tug of war

Great Britain's Olympic tug of war debut came when the nation hosted the Games in 1908. Great Britain were then one of only 2 teams to compete in 1912 and they also won the last Tug of War competition held in the Olympics in 1920.

Year	Contestants	Events	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total	Rank
1908	24	1	1	1	1	3	1
1912	8	1	0	1	0	1	2
1920	11	1	1	0	0	1	1
1924-present	No Competition
Total	43	3	2	2	1	5	1

Volleyball

Prior to participating, as host nation, in the 2012 volleyball tournaments, Great Britain had never competed in Olympic volleyball with the exception of the women's team participating in the inaugural Beach volleyball tournament in 1996.

Year	Players	Events	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total	Rank
1964-1992	Did not compete
1996	2	1	0	0	0	0	-
2000-2008	Did not compete
2012	28	4	0	0	0	0	-
Total	-	-	0	0	0	0	-

Water motorsports

Great Britain hosted the only Olympic water motorsports contests, in 1908.

Year	Athletes	Events	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total	Rank
1908	13	3	2	0	0	2	1

Water polo

Year	Players	Events	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total	Rank
1900	8	1	1	0	0	1	1
1904	Did not compete
1908	7	1	1	0	0	1	1
1912	7	1	1	0	0	1	1
1920	7	1	1	0	0	1	1
1924		1	0	0	0	0	-
1928		1	0	0	0	0	-
1932	Did not compete
1936		1	0	0	0	0	-
1948		1	0	0	0	0	-
1952		1	0	0	0	0	-
1956		1	0	0	0	0	-
1960-2008	Did not compete
2012	26	2	0	0	0	0	-
Total	-	-	4	0	0	4	3

Weightlifting

Year	Weightlifters	Events	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total	Rank
1896	1	2	1	1	0	2	1
1900	Sport not held
1904	Did not compete
1908	Sport not held
1912	Sport not held
1920-1936			0	0	0	0	-
1948			0	1	1	2	3
1952			0	0	0	0	-
1956			0	0	0	0	-
1960			0	0	1	1	6
1964			0	1	0	1	7
1968			0	0	0	0	-
1972			0	0	0	0	-
1976			0	0	0	0	-
1980			0	0	0	0	-
1984			0	0	1	1	10
1988			0	0	0	0	-
1992			0	0	0	0	-
1996			0	0	0	0	-
2000			0	0	0	0	-
2004			0	0	0	0	-
2008			0	0	0	0	-
2012	5	5	0	0	0	0	-
Total			1	3	3	7	29

Wrestling

Year	Wrestlers	Events	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total	Rank
1896	1	1	0	0	0	0	-
1900	Sport not held
1904	Did not compete
1908	53	9	3	4	4	11	1
1912	12	5	0	0	0	0	-
1920	10	10	0	0	2	2	6
1924	14	13	0	0	1	1	9
1928	6	6	0	0	1	1	12
1932	2	2	0	0	0	0	-
1952		16	0	0	1	1
1972	6	6	0	0	0	0	-
1976	6	6	0	0	0	0	-
1980	6	6	0	0	0	0	-
1984	7	7	0	0	1	1	14
1988	7	7	0	0	0	0	-
1992	1	1	0	0	0	0	-
1996	1	1	0	0	0	0	-
2000	Did not compete
2004	1	1	0	0	0	0	-
2008	Did not compete
2012	1	1	0	0	0	0	-
Total			3	4	10	17	24

See also

• List of flag bearers for Great Britain at the Olympics
• Category:Olympic competitors for Great Britain
• Great Britain at the Paralympics

References

Notes

Bibliography

• Office for National Statistics (2000). Britain 2001: The Official Handbook of the United Kingdom. London: Stationery Office Books. ISBN 978-0-11-621278-8. 
• "Olympic Medal Winners". International Olympic Committee. Retrieved 2007-10-10. 
• "British Olympic Committee". International Olympic Committee. Retrieved 2007-10-10. 

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Great Britain at the Olympic Games.

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