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Great Britain at the Olympics facts for kids

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Great Britain at the
Olympics
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg
IOC code GBR
NOC British Olympic Association
Medals
Ranked 5th
Gold Silver Bronze Total
310 345 360 1,015
Summer appearances
  • 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
  • 2020
Winter appearances
  • 1924
  • 1928
  • 1932
  • 1936
  • 1948
  • 1952
  • 1956
  • 1960
  • 1964
  • 1968
  • 1972
  • 1976
  • 1980
  • 1984
  • 1988
  • 1992
  • 1994
  • 1998
  • 2002
  • 2006
  • 2010
  • 2014
  • 2018

The United Kingdom has been represented at every modern Olympic Games. By end of the 2024 Summer Olympics, it is third in the all-time Summer Olympic medal table by overall number of medals, and fourth in number of gold medals won. London hosted the Summer Olympic Games in 1908, 1948 and 2012.

Athletes from the United Kingdom compete as part of the Great Britain and Northern Ireland Olympic Team, currently branded "Team GB". The team is organised by the British Olympic Association, the National Olympic Committee for the UK. Team GB also represents the United Kingdom's Overseas Territories (with the exceptions of Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands, and the Cayman Islands), and the three Crown Dependencies of Guernsey, Jersey, and the Isle of Man. Athletes from Northern Ireland can choose to compete for either Britain or the Republic of Ireland.

British athletes have won a combined total of 1,015 medals at the Olympic Games; 981 of those medals were won at the Summer Olympics, where Team GB is the only team to have won at least one gold medal at every games. Team GB is also the only team to have won at least one athletics medal at every Summer Olympic Games. The team has been less successful at the Winter Olympics, winning 34 medals, 12 of them gold. The United Kingdom finished in first place on the medals table at the 1908 games, placed second at the 2016 games, and third at the 1900, 1912, 1920, and 2012 games.

The most successful British Olympian by gold medals and total medals won is Sir Jason Kenny, who has won seven gold medals and nine overall, all in track cycling. The cyclist Dame Laura Kenny and the dressage rider Charlotte Dujardin share the record for the most medals won by a female British athlete, with six each; Kenny's five gold medals are the female British record. The most successful Winter Olympian from Team GB is Lizzy Yarnold, with two gold medals in the women's skeleton.

Eligibility

14 September 2012 - Olympians and Paralympians - 14 Medi 2012 - Olympaidd a Pharalympaidd (8008934725)
A heroes' welcome for Welsh Olympians and Paralympians at the Senedd building, 2012

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, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales), plus the three Crown Dependencies (Guernsey, Isle of Man and Jersey), and all but three of the British Overseas Territories (Bermuda, British Virgin Islands and Cayman Islands have their own NOCs).

Representatives of the devolved Northern Ireland government and others in the region, however, have objected to the name "Team GB" as discriminatory, and have called for it to be renamed as "Team UK" to make it clearer that Northern Ireland is included on the team.

The existence of a Great Britain team has been criticised by Welsh and Scottish nationalists, advocating for separate Welsh and Scottish Olympic teams instead.

Under the IOC charter, the Olympic Federation of Ireland is responsible for the entire island of Ireland. However, athletes from Northern Ireland can elect to represent either the UK (in Team GB) or Ireland at the Olympics, as people of Northern Ireland. A number of Northern Irish-born athletes, particularly in boxing, have won medals for Ireland at the Games. All athletes from the whole of Ireland were included in the Great Britain team up until the 1920 Olympics as the entire island was part of the United Kingdom at that time.

Hosted games

The United Kingdom has hosted the Summer Games on three occasions – 1908, 1948 and 2012, all in London – second only to the United States. At the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio, Great Britain became the first team to win more medals at a Summer Olympics immediately after hosting a Summer Olympics; they won 67 medals overall, coming in second place in the medal table ahead of China, two more than in London in 2012. This success came 20 years after finishing 36th in the medal table, after winning just one gold and fourteen other medals at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, which led to significant changes in the management and funding of British sports and facilities.

London also won the right to host the 1944 Summer Olympics. However, the 1944 games were cancelled due to the Second World War.

Successful bids

Games Host city Dates Nations Participants Events
1908 Summer Olympics London 27 April – 31 October 22 2,008 110
1944 Summer Olympics London Cancelled
1948 Summer Olympics London 29 July – 14 August 59 4,104 136
2012 Summer Olympics London 27 July – 12 August 204 10,820 302

Unsuccessful bids

Games City Winner of bid
1992 Summer Olympics Birmingham Barcelona, Spain
1996 Summer Olympics Manchester Atlanta, United States
2000 Summer Olympics Manchester Sydney, Australia

Potential future bids

In February 2019, the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan announced plans to bid for the 2032 or 2036 Olympics, which was backed by UK Sport. However, it has been speculated that either Manchester or Birmingham may be in the frame to host future games, rather than London. In July 2021, the 2032 Games were awarded to Brisbane.

In July 2024, Khan revealed he was to attend the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris and would use the opportunity to lobby members of the British Olympic Association and the Prime Minister (a potential bid would need to be both underwritten by the government and backed by the BOA) into hosting the 2040 Olympics. He claimed London could host the "greenest games ever" by reusing venues from the 2012 games including the London Stadium, the London Aquatics Centre, Lee Valley Velopark and Copper Box Arena. The idea was backed by Tom Daley, Team GB diver, commenting that "London is one of the few cities on the planet where you would be able to host the games tomorrow".

Medals

      Host country

List of Winter Olympic medallists

This list also contains the medals won in winter sports at the 1908 and 1920 Summer Olympics, which are not counted in the overall winter Olympic total.

Medal Name(s) Games Sport Event
11 Gold Madge Syers United Kingdom 1908 London Figure skating pictogram.svg Figure skating Ladies' singles
11 Gold William Jackson
Thomas Murray
Welsh, RobinRobin Welsh
Jackson, LaurenceLaurence Jackson
France 1924 Chamonix Curling pictogram.svg Curling Men's event
11 Gold Great Britain men's national ice hockey team Germany 1936 Garmisch-Partenkirchen Ice hockey pictogram.svg Ice hockey Men's event
11 Gold Jeannette Altwegg Norway 1952 Oslo Figure skating pictogram.svg Figure skating Ladies' singles
11 Gold Robin Dixon
Tony Nash
Austria 1964 Innsbruck Bobsleigh pictogram.svg Bobsleigh Two man
11 Gold Curry, JohnJohn Curry Austria 1976 Innsbruck Figure skating pictogram.svg Figure skating Men's singles
11 Gold Cousins, RobinRobin Cousins United States 1980 Lake Placid Figure skating pictogram.svg Figure skating Men's singles
11 Gold Torvill, JayneJayne Torvill
Dean, ChristopherChristopher Dean
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia 1984 Sarajevo Figure skating pictogram.svg Figure skating Ice dancing
11 Gold Martin, RhonaRhona Martin
Knox, DebbieDebbie Knox
MacDonald, FionaFiona MacDonald
Rankin, JaniceJanice Rankin
Morton, MargaretMargaret Morton
United States 2002 Salt Lake City Curling pictogram.svg Curling Women's event
11 Gold Amy Williams Canada 2010 Vancouver Skeleton pictogram.svg Skeleton Women's event
11 Gold Lizzy Yarnold Russia 2014 Sochi Skeleton pictogram.svg Skeleton Women's event
11 Gold Lizzy Yarnold South Korea 2018 Pyeongchang Skeleton pictogram.svg Skeleton Women's event
11 Gold Muirhead, EveEve Muirhead
Wright, VickyVicky Wright
Dodds, JenniferJennifer Dodds
Duff, HaileyHailey Duff
Smith, MiliMili Smith
China 2022 Beijing Curling pictogram.svg Curling Women's event
22 Silver Phyllis Johnson
James H. Johnson
United Kingdom 1908 London Figure skating pictogram.svg Figure skating Pairs Skating
22 Silver Arthur Cumming United Kingdom 1908 London Figure skating pictogram.svg Figure skating Men's special figures
22 Silver Broome, RalphRalph Broome
Thomas Arnold
Richardson, AlexanderAlexander Richardson
Soher, RodneyRodney Soher
France 1924 Chamonix Bobsleigh pictogram.svg Bobsleigh Four man
22 Silver Colledge, CeciliaCecilia Colledge Germany 1936 Garmisch-Partenkirchen Figure skating pictogram.svg Figure skating Ladies' singles
22 Silver Rudman, ShelleyShelley Rudman Italy 2006 Turin Skeleton pictogram.svg Skeleton Women's event
22 Silver David Murdoch
Greg Drummond
Scott Andrews
Michael Goodfellow
Tom Brewster
Russia 2014 Sochi Curling pictogram.svg Curling Men's event
22 Silver Mouat, BruceBruce Mouat
Hardie, GrantGrant Hardie
Lammie, BobbyBobby Lammie
McMillan Jr., HammyHammy McMillan Jr.
Whyte, RossRoss Whyte
China 2022 Beijing Curling pictogram.svg Curling Men's event
33 Bronze Geoffrey Hall-Say United Kingdom 1908 London Figure skating pictogram.svg Figure skating Men's special figures
33 Bronze Dorothy Greenhough-Smith United Kingdom 1908 London Figure skating pictogram.svg Figure skating Ladies' singles
33 Bronze Madge Syers
Edgar Syers
United Kingdom 1908 London Figure skating pictogram.svg Figure skating Pairs skating
33 Bronze Phyllis Johnson
Basil Williams
Belgium 1920 Antwerp Figure skating pictogram.svg Figure skating Pairs Skating
33 Bronze Muckelt, EthelEthel Muckelt France 1924 Chamonix Figure skating pictogram.svg Figure skating Ladies' singles
33 Bronze Great Britain men's national ice hockey team France 1924 Chamonix Ice hockey pictogram.svg Ice hockey Men's event
33 Bronze Carnegie, DavidDavid Carnegie Switzerland 1928 St. Moritz Skeleton pictogram.svg Skeleton Men's event
33 Bronze McEvoy, FrederickFrederick McEvoy
Cardno, JamesJames Cardno
Dugdale, GuyGuy Dugdale
Charles Green
Germany 1936 Garmisch-Partenkirchen Bobsleigh pictogram.svg Bobsleigh Four man
33 Bronze Altwegg, JeannetteJeannette Altwegg Switzerland 1948 St. Moritz Figure skating pictogram.svg Figure skating Ladies' singles
33 Bronze Crammond, JohnJohn Crammond Switzerland 1948 St. Moritz Skeleton pictogram.svg Skeleton Men's event
33 Bronze Gooch, NickyNicky Gooch Norway 1994 Lillehammer Speed skating pictogram.svg Short track speed skating Men's 500m
33 Bronze Torvill, JayneJayne Torvill
Dean, ChristopherChristopher Dean
Norway 1994 Lillehammer Figure skating pictogram.svg Figure skating Ice dancing
33 Bronze Olsson, SeanSean Olsson
Ward, DeanDean Ward
Rumbolt, CourtneyCourtney Rumbolt
Attwood, PaulPaul Attwood
Japan 1998 Nagano Bobsleigh pictogram.svg Bobsleigh Four man
33 Bronze Coomber, AlexAlex Coomber United States 2002 Salt Lake City Skeleton pictogram.svg Skeleton Women's event
33 Bronze Jones, JennyJenny Jones Russia 2014 Sochi Snowboarding pictogram.svg Snowboarding Women's slopestyle
33 Bronze Eve Muirhead
Anna Sloan
Vicki Adams
Claire Hamilton
Lauren Gray
Russia 2014 Sochi Curling pictogram.svg Curling Women's event
33 Bronze John James Jackson
Bruce Tasker
Stuart Benson
Joel Fearon
Russia 2014 Sochi Bobsleigh pictogram.svg Bobsleigh Four man
33 Bronze Parsons, DominicDominic Parsons South Korea 2018 Pyeongchang Skeleton pictogram.svg Skeleton Men's event
33 Bronze Deas, LauraLaura Deas South Korea 2018 Pyeongchang Skeleton pictogram.svg Skeleton Women's event
33 Bronze Morgan, BillyBilly Morgan South Korea 2018 Pyeongchang Snowboarding pictogram.svg Snowboarding Men's Big Air
33 Bronze Atkin, IzzyIzzy Atkin South Korea 2018 Pyeongchang Freestyle skiing pictogram.svg Freestyle skiing Women's slopestyle

Multiple medallists

The following athletes have won more than one medal for Great Britain at the Winter Olympics, or in winter disciplines. Bold denotes athletes that have not yet retired.

Athlete Sport Years Gender 1 2 3 Total
Yarnold, LizzyLizzy Yarnold Skeleton 2014–2018 F 2 0 0 2
Muirhead, EveEve Muirhead Curling 2014–2022 F 1 0 1 2
Dean, ChristopherChristopher Dean Figure skating 1984–1994 M 1 0 1 2
Torvill, JayneJayne Torvill Figure skating 1984–1994 F 1 0 1 2
Altwegg, JeannetteJeannette Altwegg Figure skating 1948–1952 F 1 0 1 2
Syers, MadgeMadge Syers Figure skating 1908 F 1 0 1 2
Johnson, PhyllisPhyllis Johnson Figure skating 1908–1920 F 0 1 1 2

Stripped medal

Great Britain's only stripped medal in Winter Olympic history was an Alpine Skiing bronze at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. Alain Baxter tested positive for a banned substance, resulting from Baxter using a branded inhaler product bought in Salt Lake City which, unknown to him, contained different chemicals in the United States than in his native country. While the British version contained no banned substances, the American version did, albeit in small amounts. Baxter was exonerated of deliberate wrong doing, but was forced to return his medal on the basis of strict liability.

Medal Name(s) Games Sport Event
33 Bronze Alain Baxter United States 2002 Salt Lake City Alpine skiing pictogram.svg Alpine Skiing Men's slalom

Medals by individual

Jason Kenny
Laura Kenny
Yarnold
Jason Kenny (top) has won the most gold medals of any British Olympian, with seven; his wife Laura Kenny (centre) has the most gold medals of any female British Olympian, with five. Lizzy Yarnold (bottom) is the most successful British Winter Olympian, with two gold medals.

According to official data of the International Olympic Committee. This is a list of people who have won at least three Olympic gold medals or four Olympic 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 1 2 3 Total
Kenny, JasonJason Kenny Track cycling 2008–2020 Summer M 7 2 0 9
Hoy, ChrisChris Hoy Track cycling 2000–2012 Summer M 6 1 0 7
Wiggins, BradleyBradley Wiggins Track cycling
Road cycling
2000–2016 Summer M 5 1 2 8
Kenny, LauraLaura Kenny Track cycling 2012–2020 Summer F 5 1 0 6
Redgrave, SteveSteve Redgrave Rowing 1984–2000 Summer M 5 0 1 6
Ainslie, BenBen Ainslie Sailing 1996–2012 Summer M 4 1 0 5
Farah, MoMo Farah Athletics 2012–2016 Summer M 4 0 0 4
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
Guy, JamesJames Guy Swimming 2016–2024 Summer M 3 3 0 6
Peaty, AdamAdam Peaty Swimming 2016–2024 Summer M 3 3 0 6
Beresford, JackJack Beresford Rowing 1920–1936 Summer M 3 2 0 5
Dujardin, CharlotteCharlotte Dujardin Equestrian 2012–2020 Summer F 3 1 2 6
Whitlock, MaxMax Whitlock Gymnastics 2012–2020 Summer M 3 0 3 6
Taylor, HenryHenry Taylor Swimming 1908–1920 Summer M 3 0 2 5
Clancy, EdEd Clancy Track cycling 2008–2016 Summer M 3 0 1 4
Doherty, ReginaldReginald Doherty Tennis 1900–1908 Summer M 3 0 1 4
Dean, TomTom Dean Swimming 2020–2024 Summer M 3 0 0 3
Maher, BenBen Maher Equestrian 2012–2024 Summer M 3 0 0 3
Meade, RichardRichard Meade Equestrian 1968–1972 Summer M 3 0 0 3
Reed, PetePete Reed Rowing 2008–2016 Summer M 3 0 0 3
Smith, Charles SydneyCharles Sydney Smith Water polo 1908–1920 Summer M 3 0 0 3
Triggs Hodge, AndrewAndrew Triggs Hodge Rowing 2008–2016 Summer M 3 0 0 3
4 Olympic medals or more, and fewer than 3 Olympic golds
Scott, DuncanDuncan Scott Swimming 2016–2024 Summer M 2 6 0 8
Coe, SebastianSebastian Coe Athletics 1980–1984 Summer M 2 2 0 4
Yee, AlexAlex Yee Triathlon 2020–2024 Summer M 2 1 1 4
Adlington, RebeccaRebecca Adlington Swimming 2008–2012 Summer F 2 0 2 4
Grainger, KatherineKatherine Grainger Rowing 2000–2016 Summer F 1 4 0 5
Godfree, Kathleen McKaneKathleen McKane Godfree Tennis 1920–1924 Summer F 1 2 2 5
Barker, ElinorElinor Barker Track cycling 2016–2024 Summer F 1 2 1 4
Daley, TomTom Daley Diving 2012–2024 Summer M 1 1 3 5
Butler, GuyGuy Butler Athletics 1920–1924 Summer M 1 1 2 4
Dixon, CharlesCharles Dixon Tennis 1908–1912 Summer M 1 1 2 4
Heath, LiamLiam Heath Canoeing 2012–2020 Summer M 1 1 2 4
Hester, CarlCarl Hester Equestrian 2012–2024 Summer M 1 1 2 4
Laugher, JackJack Laugher Diving 2016–2024 Summer M 1 1 2 4
Ohuruogu, ChristineChristine Ohuruogu Athletics 2008–2016 Summer F 1 1 2 4
Carlin, JackJack Carlin Track cycling 2020–2024 Summer M 0 2 2 4
Elliott, GinnyGinny Elliott Equestrian 1984–1988 Summer F 0 2 2 4
Smith, LouisLouis Smith Gymnastics 2008–2016 Summer M 0 2 2 4
Cooper, JoyceJoyce Cooper Swimming 1928–1932 Summer F 0 1 3 4
  • People in bold are still active competitors

Lizzy Yarnold is the most successful British athlete at the Winter Olympics, with two gold medals. Duncan Scott is the most prolific athlete at a single Games, winning four medals (1 gold, 3 silver) at the 2020 Olympics. Steve Redgrave is the most consistent British Olympic athlete, winning gold medals at five consecutive Games (1984-2000).

Most successful British Olympian progression

This table shows how the designation of most successful British Olympian has progressed over time. This table ranks athletes by golds, then silvers, then bronzes; the progression would be different if ranked purely by medals.

Athlete Sport Date Gender 1 2 3 Total
Elliot, LauncestonLaunceston Elliot Weightlifting 7 April 1896 M 1 0 0 1
7 April 1896 M 1 1 0 2
Currie, LorneLorne Currie Sailing 25 May 1900 M 2 0 0 2
Gretton, JohnJohn Gretton Sailing M
Hope, LintonLinton Hope Sailing M
Maudslay, AlgernonAlgernon Maudslay Sailing M
Doherty, LaurenceLaurence Doherty Tennis 11 July 1900 M
Doherty, ReginaldReginald Doherty Tennis 28 August 1900 M 2 0 1 3
11 July 1908 M 3 0 1 4
Taylor, HenryHenry Taylor Swimming 15 July 1912 M
Radmilovic, PaulPaul Radmilovic Swimming
Water polo
29 August 1920 M 4 0 0 4
Redgrave, SteveSteve Redgrave Rowing 21 July 1996 M 4 0 1 5
23 September 2000 M 5 0 1 6
Hoy, ChrisChris Hoy Track cycling 2 August 2012 M 5 1 0 6
7 August 2012 M 6 1 0 7
Kenny, JasonJason Kenny Track cycling 16 August 2016 M
3 August 2021 M 6 2 0 8
8 August 2021 M 7 2 0 9

Most successful in their sport

As of the 2024 Olympics, the following athletes are the most successful (ordered by golds, then silvers, then bronzes) in their sport:

Steve Redgrave and Reginald Doherty are the most successful male athletes in their respective sports, Rowing and Tennis. Five-time gold medalist Laura Kenny is the most successful female cyclist and Hannah Mills with two gold medals and a silver is the successful woman in sailing. Nicola Adams, with two golds, shares the title of most successful woman in Boxing.

Medals by sport

Alpine skiing

Archery

Medalists

Artistic swimming

Great Britain appeared in the first synchronised swimming competition in 1984.

Medalists

Athletics

Medalists

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.

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

Medalists

Basketball

Biathlon

Bobsleigh

Boxing

Great Britain made its Olympic boxing debut in 1908.

Medalists

Canoeing

Medalists

Cricket

Great Britain and France were the only two teams 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 medallists in cricket.

Cross-country skiing

Curling

Cycling

Jason Kenny with seven gold and two silver medals is the most successful British Olympian, most successful British cyclist, indeed the most successful cyclist, in Olympic history. His wife, Laura Kenny is the most successful British female Olympian, and most successful Olympic female cyclist in history, with five golds and one silver. As of 2021, of the 100 cycling medals won by Great Britain, half (50) have been won in the four Games since 2008, including 28 gold medals. Great Britain had won ten golds in total between 1896 and 2008.

Medalists

Diving

Great Britain made its Olympic diving debut in 1908. Tom Daley, with one gold, one silver and three bronze medals, is the most decorated and most successful British Olympic diver in history, followed by Jack Laugher with one gold, one silver and two bronze medals

Medalists

Equestrian

Great Britain had one rider compete in the hacks and hunter combined event at the first Olympic equestrian events in 1900.

Medalists

Fencing

Great Britain first competed in fencing in 1900 and won its first fencing medal, a silver, in 1908 at the London Games.

Medalists

Figure skating

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

Football

Great Britain and Ireland – now represented separately by Team Ireland and Team Great Britain – was one of three teams to play in the inaugural football tournament, winning their only match to take the first Olympic gold medal in football. The men's team competed in the ten Olympics in the table below. The women's team competed in 2012, and has qualified for 2020.

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.

Having qualified as hosts in both tournaments in 2012, pressure arose to find a way for Great Britain, and at least a women's team, to take part in Olympic football competitions. The solution, first instituted in time for the 2020 Games, and following the precedent set out by field hockey and rugby sevens was for the results of the England women's team, as the highest ranked national team within Great Britain, to be treated as qualification results for the purposes of UEFA quota places. When both England and Scotland qualified for the FIFA Women's World Cup, the UEFA designated qualification tournament, England's results were treated as Great Britain results for Olympic qualification purposes, while Scottish results were ignored for the same purposes. England's U23 men's team do not have a similar arrangement. Notwithstanding the arrangement, in the event of qualification, Scottish and Welsh players are eligible.

Medalists

Freestyle skiing

Golf

Great Britain was one of four teams to play golf at the first Olympic golf events in 1900, taking silver and bronze in the men's competition. They did not compete in the Olympic golf competition held in 1904. When the sport returned in the 2016 Rio Olympics, after a 112-year absence, Justin Rose won gold.

Medalists

Gymnastics

Great Britain first competed in gymnastics in the inaugural 1896 Olympics, with wrestler Launceston Elliot entering the rope climbing event and finishing last. 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. A record seven medals, including first ever gold medals, were won in 2016, while a further three, including one gold, were won at the 2020 Games. Having won only four medals in total between 1896 and 2008, 14 medals, including 3 gold medals were secured between 2012 and 2020.

Medalists

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.

Field hockey

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

Medalists

Ice hockey

Jeu de paume

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

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 20 judo medals, none have been gold.

Medalists

Lacrosse

Great Britain's Olympic lacrosse debut was in 1908.

Luge

Modern pentathlon

Great Britain's Olympic modern pentathlon debut was in 1912 when it was first included in the Olympics. Their most successful games were the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, where Great Britain won both the available gold medals.

Medalists

Nordic combined

Polo

Great Britain was one of four teams 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. Great Britain would be the only team to play in all five of the Olympic polo tournaments, with no other nation appearing more than three times. The nation took gold and two silvers in 1908, when only British teams competed. Facing international competition in 1920, the British side won. The 1924 tournament resulted in a bronze medal for Great Britain, while the team took silver in 1936. In international play, the Great Britain team had an overall record of 5–3 (semifinal and final wins in 1920, a 2–2 record the 1924 round-robin, and a first-round win and final loss in 1936). There were 2 games in 1908 pitting teams from Great Britain against each other, necessarily resulting in a 2–2 record that year. The mixed teams in 1900 had records of 3–0, 1–1, and 0–1, though both losses (and, of course, therefore two of the wins) were against each other.

Event No. of
appearances
First
appearance
First
medal
First
gold medal
Gold Silver Bronze Total Best finish
Men's 5/5 1900 1908 1908 2 3 1 6 1 (1908, 1920)

Rackets

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

Rowing

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

Medalists

Rugby

Great Britain took a silver medal in the first Olympic rugby competition, in 1900. They repeated as silver medallists by losing the only match in 1908. Great Britain did not compete in 1920 or 1924. When the sport returned in 2016 as rugby sevens, Great Britain earned a third silver medal (in men's) as well as placing 4th in the first women's rugby competition.

Event No. of
appearances
First
appearance
First
medal
First
gold medal
Gold Silver Bronze Total Best finish
Men's rugby union 2/4 1900 1900 N/A 0 2 0 2 2 (1900, 1908)
Men's rugby sevens 2/2 2016 2016 N/A 0 1 0 1 2 (2016)
Women's rugby sevens 2/2 2016 N/A N/A 0 0 0 0 4th (2016, 2020)

Sailing

Great Britain took four gold medals in the first Olympic sailing events in 1900. In addition, British sailors were part of two mixed teams that won gold.

Medalists

Shooting

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

Medalists

Short track speed skating

Skateboarding

Medalists

Skeleton

Great Britain is the most successful team in Skeleton winning a medal at every Games in which the sport has been included and has won at least one medal in each of the five contests of Women's skeleton since its introduction with five different athletes. Lizzy Yarnold is the most successful Skeleton rider of all time winning back to back gold medals in 2014 and 2018. No other rider has successfully defended a gold medal.

Ski jumping

Snowboarding

Speed skating

Sport climbing

Medalists

Swimming

Great Britain was the third most successful team 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.

Medalists

Table tennis

Taekwondo

Great Britain have competed in all six taekwondo competitions that have taken place since 2000. Their best result is a gold, silver and bronze in 2016.

Medalists

Tennis

Spectators at Live Site East (7724461770)
Fans celebrate Great Britain men's tennis player Andy Murray winning gold, 5 August 2012

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

Medalists

Triathlon

Great Britain have competed in all Six triathlon competitions that have taken place since 2000. Their best finish is 2 1st-place finishes in the men's individual triathlon event, and a 1st-place finish in the mixed triathlon relay event, in 2020(2021).

Medalists

Tug of war

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

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.

Water motorsports

The United Kingdom hosted the only Olympic water motorsports contests, in 1908.

Water polo

Medalists

Weightlifting

Great Britain's only gold medal in weightlifting came at the first Games in 1896, when Launceston Elliot won the one-hand lift.

Medalists

Wrestling

Medalists

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Reino Unido en los Juegos Olímpicos para niños

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