UK Sport predict where Team GB will finish at Paris Olympics and tell athletes to ‘thrive, not live in fear’

TEAM GB is on track for a third-place finish in the Paris Olympics medals table.

But UK Sport bosses are determined they will NOT sacrifice the wellbeing of athletes in the hunt for medals. 

Kate Baker, UK Sport’s Director of Performance, outlined the initial targets for Team GB at the Paris 2024 Games and for Para GB at the Paralympics the following month.

Baker confirmed that a top five spot in the medals table was expected in both events, although the Paralympians are more likely to finish in the top three.

But taking into account the most recent world championships in all the Olympic sports, GB athletes would be THIRD in the current list behind USA and China, with 21 gold medals and 63 in total.

That would be just one medal shy of their Tokyo tally and two short of the record 67 for an overseas Games won in Rio.

Baker said: “It is becoming harder and harder to remain in the top five but we are tracking well at the moment.

“Top five does not mean we are aiming for fifth. Do we have potential to go higher? For sure, absolutely. I don’t think we are shying away from it.”

GB have already qualified 144 athletes for Paris across 14 sports, with more to come.

But Baker and UK Sport chief executive Sally Munday insisted that what mattered more than winning was the culture of the Team.

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Baker said: “We want our athletes to thrive, not live in fear.”

Munday added: “We want to win but only if we win well. 

“If we come fifth rather than fourth we are comfortable with that, if we can put our hands on our hearts and say we have won them well.”

Quizzed over UK Sport’s stance on drugs, Munday added: “Being a clean nation is incredibly important to us. 

“Testing is a critical part of making sure we go to the Games with a clean team. 

“That’s part of our integrity and integrity is at the forefront of winning well - it’s that important to us.”