Great Britain at the Olympics

Great Britain, also known as the United Kingdom, has taken part in every modern Olympic Games. As of the 2024 Summer Olympics, it ranks third in the all-time Summer Olympic medal table by total medals and fourth in gold medals won. London has hosted the Summer Olympic Games three times.

Athletes from the United Kingdom compete as part of the Great Britain and Northern Ireland Olympic Team, called Team GB. This team is organized by the British Olympic Association, the National Olympic Committee for the UK. Team GB also represents the UK's Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. Athletes from Northern Ireland can choose to compete for either Great Britain or Ireland.

British athletes have won a total of 1,019 medals at the Olympic Games, with most of those coming from the Summer Olympics. Team GB is the only team to have won at least one gold medal at every Summer Games and also the only team to have won at least one athletics medal at every Summer Olympics. The team has been less successful at the Winter Olympics, winning 39 medals so far.

The most successful British Olympian is Sir Jason Kenny, who has won seven gold medals and nine total medals, all in track cycling. Dame Laura Kenny and Charlotte Dujardin share the record for the most medals won by a female British athlete, with six each. Lizzy Yarnold and Matt Weston are the most successful Winter Olympians from Team GB, each winning two gold medals.

Timeline of participation

Eligibility

The British Olympic Association represents the United Kingdom, which includes England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. Athletes from Northern Ireland can choose to compete for either Great Britain or Ireland at the Olympics. Most athletes from Northern Ireland usually compete for Ireland, but some have chosen to represent Great Britain.

Historically, athletes from all of Ireland were part of the Great Britain team until 1920. This included an athlete named Tom Kiely, whose gold medal from the 1904 St. Louis games helped Great Britain maintain its record of winning at least one gold medal at every Summer Olympics. Some people from Wales and Scotland have suggested having separate teams for their countries instead of one team for the whole United Kingdom.

Hosted games

The United Kingdom has hosted the Summer Olympics three times, all in London, in the years 1908, 1948, and 2012. This makes the UK second only to the United States in hosting these games. After hosting the 2012 Olympics in London, Great Britain performed very well at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio, winning 67 medals and finishing second in the medal table, ahead of China.

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

Successful bids

Unsuccessful bids

Potential future bids

In February 2019, the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, talked about possibly bidding for the 2032 or 2036 Olympics. However, the 2032 Games were later awarded to Brisbane. In July 2024, Khan said he would attend the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris to discuss possibly hosting the 2040 Olympics. He believes London could host the "greenest games ever" by using venues from the 2012 games.

There has also been a proposal for Manchester and Liverpool to jointly bid for the 2040 Games, which was supported by the Mayor of Greater Manchester.

Medals

See also: All-time Olympic Games medal table

Great Britain has been part of every modern Olympic Games. They are third in the all-time Summer Olympic medal count by total medals and fourth by gold medals.

Medals by Summer Games

  Host country

Source:

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• ^{Art comp.} Art competitions (1912–1948) are not included in the medal table above, as they were non-sports events formerly part of the Olympic Games. Great Britain won a total of nine art competition medals (3 gold, 5 silver, and 1 bronze), across the (/wiki/Art_competitions_at_the_1920_Summer_Olympics), (/wiki/Art_competitions_at_the_1924_Summer_Olympics), (/wiki/Art_competitions_at_the_1928_Summer_Olympics), (/wiki/Art_competitions_at_the_1932_Summer_Olympics), and 1948 Summer Olympics.

Medals by Winter Games

Source:

Medals by summer sport

  Leading in that sport

This table excludes seven medals – one gold, two silver, and four bronze – awarded in the (/wiki/Figure_skating_at_the_1908_Summer_Olympics) and (/wiki/Figure_skating_at_the_1920_Summer_Olympics) figure skating events.

Medals by winter sport

  Leading in that sport

This table includes seven medals – one gold, two silver, and four bronze – awarded in the (/wiki/Figure_skating_at_the_1908_Summer_Olympics) and (/wiki/Figure_skating_at_the_1920_Summer_Olympics) figure skating events.

Best results in non-medalling sports and disciplines

List of Winter Olympic medallists

This list includes medals won in winter sports at the 1908 and 1920 Summer Olympics, though these are not counted in the total for the Winter Olympics.

Multiple medallists

These athletes have won more than one medal for Great Britain at the Winter Olympics or in winter sports. Bold names are athletes who are still competing.

Stripped medal

Great Britain had one medal taken away at the Winter Olympics. This happened in 2002 in Salt Lake City during Alpine Skiing. An athlete named Alain Baxter used an inhaler he bought there, which had different chemicals than the ones in his home country. Even though he did not mean to cheat, the rules said he had to give back his bronze medal.

Medals by individual

Jason Kenny has won the most gold medals for Great Britain with seven, and his wife Laura Kenny has the most gold medals for any British woman with five. Lizzy Yarnold is the most successful British Winter Olympian, winning two gold medals.

Some of the most successful British Olympians include Lizzy Yarnold and Matt Weston in the Winter Olympics, each with two gold medals. Duncan Scott won four medals at the 2020 Olympics. Steve Redgrave won gold medals in five different Olympics from 1984 to 2000.

Sir Jason Kenny, Sir Chris Hoy, Sir Mo Farah, and Sir Ben Ainslie each won four gold medals in individual events. Sir Chris Hoy won gold in four different events, while others won gold in the same event multiple times.

Medals by sport

Alpine skiing

Further information: Alpine skiing at the Winter Olympics and List of British alpine skiers

Archery

Further information: Archery at the Summer Olympics

Medalists

Artistic swimming

Further information: Artistic swimming at the Summer Olympics

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

Medalists

Athletics

Further information: Athletics at the Summer Olympics

Medalists

Badminton

Further information: Badminton at the Summer Olympics

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

Further information: Basketball at the Summer Olympics

Biathlon

Further information: Biathlon at the Winter Olympics

Bobsleigh

Further information: Bobsleigh at the Winter Olympics

Boxing

Further information: Boxing at the Summer Olympics

Great Britain made its Olympic boxing debut in 1908.

Medalists

Canoeing

Further information: Canoeing and kayaking at the Summer Olympics

Medalists

Cricket

Further information: Cricket at the Olympics

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

Further information: Cross-country skiing at the Winter Olympics

Curling

Further information: Curling at the Winter Olympics

Cycling

Further information: Cycling at the Summer Olympics

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

Further information: Diving at the Summer Olympics

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

Further information: Equestrian events at the Summer Olympics

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

Medalists

Fencing

Further information: Fencing at the Summer Olympics

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

Further information: Figure Skating at the Olympic Games

Great Britain hosted the first Olympic figure skating contests in 1908. Figure skating, as of the 2026 Winter Olympics, is Great Britain's most successful winter sport, although seven of its medals were won in early editions of Summer Olympic Games.

Football

Further information: Football at the Summer Olympics

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 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

Further information: Freestyle skiing at the Winter Olympics

Golf

Further information: Golf at the Summer Olympics

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

Further information: Gymnastics at the Summer Olympics

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

Further information: Handball at the Summer Olympics

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

Further information: Field hockey at the Summer Olympics

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

Medalists

Ice hockey

Further information: Ice hockey at the Olympic Games

Jeu de paume

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

Judo

Further information: Judo at the Summer Olympics

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

Further information: Lacrosse at the Summer Olympics

Great Britain's Olympic lacrosse debut was in 1908.

Luge

Further information: Luge at the Winter Olympics

Modern pentathlon

Further information: Modern pentathlon at the Summer Olympics

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

Further information: Nordic combined at the Winter Olympics

Polo

Further information: Polo at the Summer Olympics

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.

Rackets

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

Rowing

Further information: Rowing at the Summer Olympics

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

Medalists

Rugby

Further information: Rugby union at the Summer Olympics and Rugby sevens at the Summer Olympics

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.

Sailing

Further information: Sailing at the Summer Olympics

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

Further information: Shooting at the Summer Olympics

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

Further information: Short track speed skating at the Winter Olympics

Skateboarding

Further information: Skateboarding at the Summer Olympics

Medalists

Skeleton

Further information: Skeleton at the Winter Olympics

Great Britain is the most successful team in Skeleton winning a medal at every Games (except 2022) 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 only rider to defend their gold medal, winning back-to-back titles in 2014 and 2018. Matt Weston became the first athlete to win multiple medals for Great Britain in a single Winter Olympic Games, winning gold in both the men's individual and mixed team events at the 2026 Games.

Ski jumping

Further information: Ski jumping at the Winter Olympics

Snowboarding

Further information: Snowboarding at the Winter Olympics

Speed skating

Further information: Speed skating at the Winter Olympics

Sport climbing

Further information: Sport climbing at the Summer Olympics

Medalists

Swimming

Further information: Swimming at the Summer Olympics

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

Further information: Table tennis at the Summer Olympics

Taekwondo

Further information: Taekwondo at the Summer Olympics

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

Further information: Tennis at the Summer Olympics

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

Further information: Triathlon at the Summer Olympics

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

Further information: Tug of war at the Summer Olympics

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

Volleyball

Further information: Volleyball at the Summer Olympics and Beach volleyball at the Summer Olympics

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

Further information: Water polo at the Summer Olympics

Medalists

Weightlifting

Further information: Weightlifting at the Summer Olympics

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

Further information: Wrestling at the Summer Olympics

Medalists

Medals in art competitions

Main article: List of Olympic medalists in art competitions

Great Britain has also been recognized in Olympic art competitions—one of the three non-sports events that were once part of the Olympic Games. The country won a total of nine art competition medals (3 gold, 5 silver, and 1 bronze) in several Summer Games from 1912 to 1948. These art events were part of the Olympic program for seven Summer Games. In 1952, the International Olympic Committee stopped including non-sport events like art competitions. After that, these medals were no longer counted in the official records.

Medalists