Great Britain at the Olympics facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Great Britain at the Olympics
Flag of the United Kingdom
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 sent athletes to every modern Olympic Games. By the end of the 2024 Summer Olympics, it ranks third in total medals won at the Summer Olympics. It is also fourth in the number of gold medals. London has hosted the Summer Olympic Games three times: in 1908, 1948, and 2012.

Athletes from the UK compete as the Great Britain and Northern Ireland Olympic Team. This team is often called "Team GB". The British Olympic Association organizes the team. This group is the official Olympic committee for the UK.

Team GB also includes athletes from most of the UK's British Overseas Territories. These are places like Gibraltar or the Falkland Islands. However, Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands, and the Cayman Islands have their own Olympic teams. The team also represents the three Crown Dependencies: Guernsey, Jersey, and the Isle of Man.

Athletes from Northern Ireland have a special choice. They can compete for either Team GB or the Republic of Ireland.

British athletes have won a total of 1,015 medals at the Olympic Games. Most of these, 981, were won at the Summer Olympics. Team GB is the only team to have won at least one gold medal at every Summer Games. They are also the only team to win at least one athletics medal at every Summer Olympics.

The team has won fewer medals at the Winter Olympics, with 34 in total. Of these, 12 were gold. The United Kingdom finished first in the medal table at the 1908 Games. They placed second at the 2016 Games. They also finished third at the 1900, 1912, 1920, and 2012 Games.

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

Who Can Compete for Team GB?

A heroes' welcome for Welsh Olympians and Paralympians at the Senedd building, 2012

The British Olympic Association (BOA) is in charge of the UK's Olympic team. Its members include the four parts of the United Kingdom: England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. It also includes the three Crown Dependencies: Guernsey, Isle of Man, and Jersey. Most British Overseas Territories are also part of Team GB. However, Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands, and the Cayman Islands have their own Olympic committees.

Some people from Northern Ireland have asked for the team name to be changed to "Team UK". They feel this would better show that Northern Ireland is included.

Some Welsh and Scottish nationalists believe their countries should have separate Olympic teams. They think this would be fairer for their athletes.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) says the Olympic Federation of Ireland is responsible for the whole island of Ireland. This means athletes from Northern Ireland can choose to compete for either Team GB or Ireland at the Olympics. Many Northern Irish athletes, especially in boxing, have won medals for Ireland. Before 1920, all athletes from Ireland were part of the Great Britain team. This was because the whole island was part of the United Kingdom then.

Olympic Games Hosted by the UK

The United Kingdom has hosted the Summer Olympic Games three times. All three times, the games were held in London. This makes London the second most frequent host city after the United States.

London hosted the games in 1908, 1948, and 2012. At the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio, Team GB achieved something special. They won more medals right after hosting the games than they did when they hosted. They won 67 medals in 2016, placing second overall. This was two more medals than they won in London in 2012.

This success was a big change from 1996. At the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Team GB finished 36th. They won only one gold medal and 14 other medals. This poor result led to major changes in how British sports were managed and funded.

London was also chosen to host the 1944 Summer Olympics. However, these games were cancelled because of the Second World War.

Successful Bids for Hosting Games

Unsuccessful Bids for Hosting Games

Future Olympic Hosting Plans

In February 2019, the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said London wanted to bid for the 2032 or 2036 Games. UK Sport supported this idea. However, some people thought Manchester or Birmingham might host future games instead of London. In July 2021, the 2032 Games were given to Brisbane.

In July 2024, Mayor Khan said he would try to convince the British Olympic Association and the Prime Minister to bid for the 2040 Olympics. He believes London could host the "greenest games ever" by reusing venues from the 2012 Games. These venues include the London Stadium, the London Aquatics Centre, Lee Valley Velopark, and Copper Box Arena. Team GB diver Tom Daley supported the idea. He said London is one of the few cities ready to host the games right away.

Olympic Medals Won by Great Britain

      Host country

Medals by Summer Games Medals by Summer Games Games Athletes 1 Gold 2 Silver 3 Bronze Total Rank 1896 Athens 8 2 3 2 7 5 1900 Paris 103 15 8 9 32 3 1904 St. Louis 3 1 1 0 2 9 1908 London 676 56 51 39 146 1 1912 Stockholm 293 10 15 16 41 3 1920 Antwerp 204 14 15 13 42 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 19 51 4 2012 London 541 29 18 18 65 3 2016 Rio de Janeiro 366 27 23 17 67 2 2020 Tokyo 376 22 20 22 64 4 2024 Paris 327 14 22 29 65 7 2028 Los Angeles Future events Total 298 340 343 981 4

Medals by Winter Games Medals by Winter Games Games Athletes 1 Gold 2 Silver 3 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 55 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 3 5 19 2018 Pyeongchang 58 1 0 4 5 19 2022 Beijing 50 1 1 0 2 19 2026 Milan/Cortina Future events Total 12 5 17 34 18

Winter Olympic Medallists

This section lists some of the top British athletes who have won medals at the Winter Olympics. It also includes medals from figure skating events held during the Summer Olympics in 1908 and 1920.

Multiple Medallists in Winter Sports

The following athletes have won more than one medal for Great Britain in Winter Olympic sports. Bold names mean the athletes are still competing.

Athlete	Sport	Years	Gender				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 Story

Great Britain has only had one medal taken away in Winter Olympic history. This happened in Alpine Skiing at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. Alain Baxter won a bronze medal, but he tested positive for a banned substance. He had used an inhaler bought in Salt Lake City. He didn't know it contained different chemicals in the US than in his home country. The British version was fine, but the American one had small amounts of a banned substance. Alain Baxter was found not to have cheated on purpose. However, he still had to return his medal because of strict rules.

Medal	Name(s)	Games	Sport	Event
3 Bronze	Alain Baxter	2002 Salt Lake City	Alpine Skiing	Men's slalom

Top British Medallists

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.

This list shows athletes who have won at least three Olympic gold medals or four Olympic medals for Great Britain. This information comes from the official International Olympic Committee data. It includes top-three finishes from 1896 and 1900, even though medals weren't officially given out then.

Athlete	Sport	Years	Games	Gender				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. She has won two gold medals. Duncan Scott won the most medals at a single Games. He earned four medals (1 gold, 3 silver) at the 2020 Olympics. Steve Redgrave is known for his amazing consistency. He won gold medals at five Olympic Games in a row, from 1984 to 2000.

How the Most Successful British Olympian Changed Over Time

This table shows how the title of "most successful British Olympian" has changed through history. Athletes are ranked by gold medals first, then silver, then bronze. The order would be different if only total medals were counted.

Athlete	Sport	Date	Gender				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, these athletes are the most successful in their specific sports for Great Britain. They are listed by gold medals, then silver, then bronze.

• Jason Kenny (Cycling)
• Ben Ainslie (Sailing)
• Alex Yee (Triathlon)
• Lizzy Yarnold (Skeleton)
• John Wodehouse (Polo)
• John Astor (Rackets)
• John Shepherd, Frederick Humphreys and Edwin Mills (Tug of War)
• John Field-Richards, Bernard Boverton Redwood and Isaac Thomas Thornycroft (Water Motorsports)
• Twelve members of the Devon and Somerset Wanderers team (Cricket)

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

Images for kids

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  Fans celebrate Great Britain men's tennis player Andy Murray winning gold, 5 August 2012

See also

• 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