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Prepare to “Find Your Greatness” as search for UK's future athletes gets underway The National Lottery operator Allwyn launches ChangeMakers fund for athletes as they make a difference back home Breadth of success targeted as British Olympic and Paralympic performance aspirations confirmed for Paris Investing in sport Strategic plan 2021-31
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Team GB exceed Sydney medal haul

Published 31 August 2004

Two gold medals on Saturday evening on the athletics track plus a silver for teenage boxing sensation Amir Khan on Sunday in the ring lifted Team GB’s final medal tally at the Athens Olympics to 30, two more than in Sydney four years ago.

Excluding the boycotted Games of Los Angeles in 1984 – when the British team returned home with 37 medals – the aggregate is the greatest since Paris in 1924.

Sailing was Britain’s most successful sport, winning five medals, with cycling, rowing and athletics each contributing four medals to the cause.

The total return of nine gold, nine silver and 12 bronze medals was sufficient for Team GB to finish tenth in the overall medals table, the same position as achieved four years ago.

"It is a fantastic result," says Liz Nicholl, Chief Executive of UK Sport.

"To finish tenth once again in a world where international sport is becoming increasingly competitive and more and more countries are investing substantial sums of money is a real achievement."

In the four years leading up to Athens, UK Sport invested approximately £68 million of Lottery funding in Britain’s Olympic sportsmen and women to prepare them for the Games.

"The Lottery has played an absolutely massive role in achieving these results," says Nicholl, adding that the prospects for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing also look healthy.

"We can do even better next time, because the development of a high-performance system in the UK is still in its infancy," she explains.

"This is the first full four-year cycle in which Lottery funding has had a chance to have a real impact. Over the next four years, the key will be to develop UK world class personnel.

"Over the last four years we have imported a number of staff, but it’s now time to invest in our own coaches so that we have a new generation coming through to support our leading sportsmen and women."

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