| Great Britain at the 2008 Summer Olympics | |
|---|---|
 | |
| IOC code | GBR |
| NOC | British Olympic Association |
| in Beijing | |
| Competitors | 311[2] in 20 sports |
| Flag bearers | Mark Foster (opening) Chris Hoy (closing) |
| Officials | 236[1] |
| Medals Ranked 4th |
|
| Summer Olympics appearances (overview) | |
| Other related appearances | |
| 1906 Intercalated Games | |
Great Britain, represented by the British Olympic Association (BOA), competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China.[3] The United Kingdom was represented by the British Olympic Association (BOA), and the team of selected athletes was officially known as Team GB. Britain is one of only five NOCs to have competed in every modern Summer Olympic Games since 1896. The delegation of 547 people included 311 competitors – 168 men, 143 women – and 236 officials. The team was made up of athletes from the whole United Kingdom including Northern Ireland (whose people may elect to hold Irish citizenship and are able to be selected to represent either Great Britain or Ireland at the Olympics).[4] Additionally some British overseas territories compete separately from Britain in Olympic competition.
Great Britain's medal performance at the 2008 Summer Olympics was its best in a century; at the close of the Games, the total medal count, 47, was also the fourth highest Great Britain had ever achieved. Only its performance at the 1908 Summer Olympics, which Britain hosted in London, resulted in more gold medals being awarded.[5] Following retests of doping samples in 2016 in connection with the Russian doping scandal, four further medals, all bronze, were awarded in athletics, retrospectively increasing the total gained to 51. As of 1 July 2020, the award of the bronze medals to both the Men's and Women's 4 × 400 metres relay teams and the upgrade of Goldie Sayers to bronze in the Women's javelin, confirmed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), brought the official medal total to 50, after which the confirmation of Kelly Sotherton receiving her second reallocated bronze medal in the Women's Heptathlon (having been part of the Women's 4 × 400 metre team) took the total number of medals won to 51.
Great Britain finished 4th overall in the medal tables, a target previously set by UK Sport, the public body responsible for distributing funding to elite sport, for the 2012 Games. UK Sport considered whether to target 3rd place in the 2012 Games, which was hosted by the United Kingdom in London.[6]
The outstanding individual achievement for a British athlete at the Games was when cyclist Chris Hoy became the first British athlete in 100 years to win three gold medals at a single Olympic Games.
Because London was to be host city of the 2012 Summer Olympics, a British segment featuring football star David Beckham was performed during the closing ceremony.
- ^ "Team GB's 311 Athletes Entered for Beijing 2008". British Olympic Association. Archived from the original on 23 August 2008. Retrieved 26 July 2008.
- ^ "All currently selected Team GB athletes". British Olympic Association. Archived from the original on 23 August 2008. Retrieved 17 August 2008.
- ^ "Team GB". British Olympic Association. Archived from the original on 25 December 2018. Retrieved 21 August 2008.
- ^ "Full text of the constitution" (PDF). Department of the Taoiseach. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 April 2005. Retrieved 17 September 2008.
- ^ "GB Olympians power to new heights". BBC Sport. 19 August 2008. Retrieved 19 August 2008.
- ^ Munro, James (25 August 2008). "Britain may aim for third in 2012". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 22 January 2016. Retrieved 25 August 2008.