UK Sport insist they would be ‘comfortable’ with Team GB losing a place on the Paris 2024 medal list as long as the athletes are well looked after – in a move away from their old ‘win at any cost’ approach .
Great Britain has finished in the top four of the medal table at the last four Olympics and has set a target of finishing in the top five at next summer’s Games.
British sports data, based on the most recent World Championship results, actually puts Team GB on course to finish third in Paris, behind only the US and China.
But the funding body says their goal is to win “just right” as they look to improve their culture after a spate of athlete welfare scandals, most notably widespread abuse in the gym.
“We will have people who will do things that are not up to the standards we set,” UK Sport chief executive Sally Munday admitted at a press conference in Paris 2024 on Wednesday. to win, and to win well.
UK Sport have admitted they will try to move away from their ‘win at any cost’ approach for Paris 2024
Josh Kerr (center) is one of the Team GB stars going for gold in Paris
“If that means finishing fifth on the medal table instead of fourth, then we’re very comfortable with that, as long as we can put our hands on our hearts and say we’ve done everything we can to make sure that our sport wins well.’
Dr. Kate Baker, who has overseen the shift in philosophy since leaving the FA to become UK Sport’s performance director in 2021, added: ‘Keep winning is very important to us, but it’s not winning at all costs .
“What we ask of our programmes, and in previous cycles we have faced challenges in this area, is to ensure that they create the right environment for those talented individuals with high potential, enabling them to bring out the best in themselves and can thrive, and not have to live. in fear.
“We know people can perform when they’re not in a well space, but that’s not what we want. If a program is only interested in winning and not taking care of people, then you are not for us.
“If you’re a program that doesn’t do things the right way, but wins a lot of medals, that won’t go with us and we’re willing to sacrifice those medals in the long run.”
UK Sport recognizes that anti-doping is fundamental to ‘winning well’ and hopes Team GB’s stars will be adequately tested ahead of Paris.
Data published last month showed that one-fifth of British athletes competing in last year’s World Championships in Athletics had not undergone an out-of-competition test in the ten months leading up to the event in Eugene.
Sally Munday (left) stressed Team GB still remains focused on ‘winning well’ in Paris 2024
Team GB were stripped of the silver medal they won in the men’s 4x100m relay in Tokyo after CJ Ujah tested positive for a banned substance after the Games.
Britain’s cycling success in London 2012 and Rio 2016 has also been tarnished after their team doctor, Richard Freeman, was suspended last month for breaching anti-doping rules.
“We are confident that sufficient testing will be done,” Munday said. “Testing is a crucial part of making sure we go to the Games as a clean team. Being a clean country is incredibly important to us. It’s part of integrity, and integrity is absolutely at the heart of good winning.”
With less than a year to go until Paris 2024, Britain currently holds 22 world titles in Olympic events. Individual world champions include Katarina Johnson-Thompson and Josh Kerr in track and field, swimmer Matt Richards and track cyclist Emma Finucane.
Track cyclist Emma Finucane is another Team GB star looking to make history in Paris
Team GB also won 22 gold medals in Tokyo 2020, as they finished fourth in the medal division behind the USA, China and Japan.
“We’re tracking it well at the moment,” Baker added. “Past performance does not predict future performance, but we know that form is important as we get closer to the Games and all signs tell us that our athletes are in shape right now.
“One of our goals is to stay in the top five. That doesn’t mean we’re aiming for fifth place. Do we have the potential to go higher? Absolute.
“But there is a risk that we consider it a home game. We control every risk of complacency throughout the system. It’s getting harder and harder to stay in the top five.’