Great Britain and Northern Ireland will take their largest team ever to an overseas Olympic Games as they head to Tokyo this summer, with female athletes outnumbering their male counterparts for the first time ever.
On Thursday, Team GB confirmed a 376-strong squad to compete across 26 sports at the Games, which begin later this month, 201 of whom are females.
Less than a third (122) of those selected have been to a Games before, with 51 former medalists included as part of the squad.
The vast majority of athletes had already been selected by their respective sports’ governing bodies, with the qualification process complicated in some disciplines by the year-long delay to the Games because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Skateboarder Sky Brown is set to become Britain’s youngest ever summer Olympian as the sport makes its bow, while equestrian rider Carl Hester is the oldest member of the team at 54.
Chef de Mission Mark England said: “After five years of hard work our team for Tokyo 2020 is now complete. We have a strong squad of athletes ready to do their country proud and it’s great to welcome our largest travelling British Olympic team ever.
“I am also delighted we will be taking more women than men to a summer Olympic Games. It is a first for Team GB in its 125-year history - 2021 is truly the year of the female Olympian.”
