Team GB chief plots major Olympics overhaul as he moans at ‘frustrating’ Paris 2024 after fewest gold medals in 20 years

THE chief executive of the British Olympic Association admits he found it “frustrating” to see Team GB finish seventh in the Paris 2024 medal table.

Great Britain finished this summer’s Olympic Games with 65 medals in total – 29 bronze, 22 silver… but only 14 golds.

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It was GB’s lowest gold medal tally in 20 years, dating back to Athens 2004.

However, chief executive Andy Anson insists all medals should be celebrated following an “incredibly competitive” summer of sport.

Th 59-year-old also revealed that he and his team will look into and evaluate why there were so many “near misses” in Paris.

He said: “It’s frustrating to be seventh in the medal table. This has been an unbelievably competitive Olympic Games.

“The middle bit of the medal table below the United States and China feels incredibly competitive.

“There were near misses. We’ve got to celebrate the medals. We’ve got to do that first, and then, as UK Sport, the national governing bodies, ourselves, we’ve got to sit back when we get home and just say, ‘Was there something? Is it sport by sport? Individual issues? Was there something more systematic? Let’s look across the whole scene… but in a controlled way.

“I think the breadth of success is incredibly important in terms of the resonance it has around the country – 65 medals is a brilliant achievement.

“I, for one, can’t wait for Los Angeles, because I think it [the Olympics] is going to become even bigger by then. Bring on LA because we’re going to get back at the Aussies and get back up that medal table.”

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The USA topped the medal table this summer with 126 in total, 40 of which were gold.

China came second with 91 in total, also including 40 gold.

Those nations were followed by Japan, Australia, France and Netherlands.

UK Sport typically expect around 30 per cent of Team GB’s medals to be gold.

However, 14 golds out of 65 gave them 21.5 per cent this year.

Team GB finished fourth in Tokyo last time out with 64 medals, 22 of which were gold.

Katherine Grainger, chair of the British Olympic Association, said: “What we’re going to all be doing is a period of review of what has worked really well and what hasn’t worked as well.

“Where did we miss some of the conversions? Where do we get the positive surprises? But I’m very comfortable sitting here looking at what the team did.”