| Great Britain at the 1996 Summer Olympics | |
|---|---|
.svg) | |
| IOC code | GBR |
| NOC | British Olympic Association |
| in Atlanta | |
| Competitors | 300 (184 men and 116 women) in 22 sports |
| Flag bearers | Steve Redgrave (opening) Roger Black (closing) |
| Medals Ranked 36th |
|
| Summer Olympics appearances (overview) | |
| Other related appearances | |
| 1906 Intercalated Games | |
Great Britain, represented by the British Olympic Association (BOA), competed at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, United States. British athletes have competed in every single Summer Olympic Games. 300 competitors, 184 men and 116 women, took part in 175 events in 22 sports.[1] The Atlanta games saw Great Britain's worst performance at a Summer Olympics since 1952, finishing in 36th position with a single gold medal, and 15 medals overall.[2]
The "rock bottom" British performance at the Atlanta Olympics led to a period of soul searching about the state of British sport. Insufficient funding was identified as a major factor in the poor performance, and this led to a wholesale reform of how elite sports were funded, organised and supported in the UK: At the instigation of the then Prime Minister John Major, UK Sport was created the following year; a public body which distributes National Lottery funding for elite sports,[2][3] Previously, due to a lack of funding, cyclist Chris Boardman had acclimatised to the humidity of Atlanta by practicing in his home bathroom with the shower turned on,[4] and divers Bob Morgan and Tony Ally sold their Olympic kits while in Atlanta in order to raise funds.[2][5] Leon Taylor, who would win a silver medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics, suggested the public humiliation for the British Olympic Association from the newspaper stories about Morgan & Ally's actions obligated them to bring in better athlete funding.[6] Nevertheless, the single gold medal won by rowers Matthew Pinsent and Steve Redgrave ensured that Great Britain maintained its record of winning at least one gold medal at every Summer Olympics.
- ^ "Great Britain at the 1996 Summer Games". sports-reference.com. Archived from the original on 11 February 2012. Retrieved 12 February 2012.
- ^ a b c Gibson, Owen (24 July 2012). "London 2012: how Team GB's fortunes turned around after disaster in Atlanta". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 August 2012.
- ^ "Historical Funding Figures". UK Sport. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
- ^ Kelso, Paul (27 July 2012). "London 2012 Olympics: How Team GB went from zeroes to heroes after Atlanta '96 low point". The Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
- ^ Hubbard, Alan (19 September 1999). "DIVING: FIRST NIGHT: TONY ALI; Plunge to the heights". The Independent. Retrieved 16 February 2018.
- ^ https://www.facebook.com/BBCCymruWales/videos/legends-of-welsh-sport-bob-morgan/381984784365375/ [bare URL]