TeamGB

Yes Yes 5 No Yes

Exciting, I've missed this: Curling:4 Figure Skating: 8th Snowboard: Yes Ceremony: Matt Weston, Jen Dodds

Sitting in a halls of residence right now, I’m jealous, I’m sure my uni would try to charge £200 a week for something like this.

At this point I'm basically just procrastinating on all my uni assignments but here's my attempt. Great Britain's Medal Prospects LIKELY Curling - In my view, Mouat's rink are undeserving of the title of outright favourites, but they are certainly up there, as is the mixed team. The women's rink isn't as strong but they surprised me with the European performance so who knows. Overall, I think leaving without a medal would be seen as a real disappointment. Freestyle Skiing - Zoe Atkin and Kirsty Muir have both won world cup and X games golds this season, so will be up there for the medals. Freestyle Skiing is an unpredictable sport though so no guarantees can be made. I would say Muir is the more likely out of the two (especially considering she's entered in two events). Elsewhere on the team the chances are slim to none. Gus Kenworthy has come out of retirement but frankly it would be a huge surprise to see him anywhere near to podium again. Skeleton - After such a disappointing Beijing, the team has been reborn, with Matt Weston and Marcus Wyatt claiming all world cup golds this season. The women's team has been less consistent, with Tabby Stoecker being the most likely to contend, although on their say all 3 women can challenge. The mixed relay provides further medal opportunities, although so far this season it has been quite unpredictable. Realistically though, multiple medals are on the cards and I would hope a gold is as well. Snowboarding - Mia Brookes again performed strongly at the X-Games, so she should be in contention for both her events. Charlotte Bankes seems to be finding some form as well, and she and Huw Nightingale are always formidable in the snowboard cross. Across these events, I would hope there will be at least one medal, but winter sports always throw curveballs. POSSIBLE Bobsleigh - A couple of years ago this would have been fairly likely but Brad Halls form is not as strong. He seems to have been improving over the last few races to it wouldn't be unsurprising if he could snag a bronze in one of the disciplines, but nothing further is likely. Figure Skating - The media likes to hype things up, and this talk about Fear and Gibson being the next Torvil and Dean is frankly misguided. To be clear, on their day, they can certainly content for a medal, but they have to be flawless, and their European performance was anything but. The emergence of the new French pairing will certainly harm their chances too. VERY UNLIKELY Alpine Skiing - It looks as though all three athletes are only entered in the Slalom, which does simplify our prospects. Dave Ryding has shown he can win a medal on his day, and Laurie Taylor finished 4th earlier in the season, but the be blunt it would be a major shock if either could get on the podium. Not impossible, but highly unlikely. Cross Country Skiing - Andy Musgrave is in a similar camp to Dave Ryding where if everything falls into place, a medal is possible, but it is a huge stretch. Joe Davies looks to be the strongest on the team but again, the strength of other nations, even without the Russians, makes this highly improbable. Short Track Speed Skating - Niall Treacy is the only athlete entered, and whilst he has won a world cup medal in the past, he would need quite a lot of fortune to repeat that feat. Again, it is short track, so who knows. IMPOSSIBLE Biathlon - No way, I was surprised we even sent a team. Speed Skating - Elia Smeding has slowly been creeping up the order this season in the 1000m but I fear it is too little too late. A top 10 finish is on the cards though for sure. Summary To be honest I'm to wary of the unpredictability of winter sports to give the team a floor, but quietly I whisper 2 medals minimum. If all went to plan, I could realistically see a maximum of 18 medals (3 curling, 3 Freestyle Skiing, 5 skeleton, 2 bobsleigh, 4 snowboarding and 1 figure skating), but I think I'm more likely to get struck by lightning then to get anywhere close to that. This would leave me with an expected total of 6 medals, which would be a new record. Can't wait to be proved woefully wrong and we stagger back with a few scraps like 4 years ago.

I would say anything less than 5 would be a dissappointment. Sound ridiculous given that’s the best all time, but we won 5 medals (inc 3 golds), in just the x games this week.

Does anyone know if discovery are doing a deal where you can stream the olympics like they did in 2024?

6th Place for Tarbit today has given GB a bit of breathing space, she's now the 3rd GB slider in 10th on 664 points. No 3 is on 516 No 3 is on 414 With only 2 races left it's looking more likely all 3 athletes will qualify.

Incidentally, Kok is guaranteed a top-three finish. - Translated from NOS live blog. Is this correct or a translation error. If so how? Original: Kok is overigens sowieso zeker bij een plek in de top drie

Ahh Makes sense. I always find it frustrating when selection policies don't account for circumstances like that, even if countries have such strength in depth. For what it's worth, I ran a simulation today which has Schulting making it, but honestly there's so many variables take it with a pinch of salt. Event Skater Qualifying Rank 500m 1 Kok 1 1500m 1 Beune 2 Mass Start Grounewoud 3 3000m 1 Conijn 4 1000m 1 Kok 5000m 1 Conijn 1000m 2 Leerdam 5 5000m 2 Beune 1500m 2 Rijpma De Jong 6 3000m 2 Beune 500m 2 Leerdam 500m 3 Fledderus 7 3000m 3 Grounewoud 1500m 3 Daleman 8 1000m 3 Schulting 9 Interestingly, if you put it back to the current matrix Vekerk would not qualify, making it an easy choice for the 1000m. Guarantee someone will through a spanner in the works before then though.

Could they give Leerdam a place in the 1000 at Milan if she qualifies through the 500? And surely Vekerk would be the one to lose out rather than Schulting?

Excellent skeleton results so far this season. 5 golds and 9 medals from 9 races. The men are racing tomorrow, but the Women now have a short Christmas break before the season resumes in Winterberg in Germany on January 2nd. On the women's side, currently GB are occupying the second of the two slots for 3 Olympic qualifiers, which would be an amazing achievement given the men's squad have been comparatively stronger the last olympic cycle. The way the qualifying system works is the top two nations with the 3rd highest ranked athlete are allocated 3 quotas. are almost certainly going to take one of those slots, leaving GB in a battle to secure the second. Currently GB's 3rd ranked athlete is Freya Tarbit in 12th on 488 points. The 's 3rd best is on 440 in 19th, although I believe she has more minor races counting towards her ranking which should be outweighed by world cup points. no 3 is ranked 26th on 348. Behind that the competition drops off rather steeply. GB are in a good position and I hope they take all 3 quotas, as all 3 athletes are capable of medalling on their day. I will note however, that the next tracks are much more drivers tracks, so the start boost of the British athletes may not be a beneficial, but the same will be of the Chinese and Americans.

Should Stoltz be DQ'ed for hitting the cone?

https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/document/68baa3e6145009983c0bd020.pdf?_gl=1*6s89jy*_gcl_au*MTI1MTUxMDc1OS4xNzU3MjQyNzc5*_ga*OTQxMTIxNDQuMTc1NzI0Mjc4MQ..*_ga_7FE9YV46NW*czE3NTcyNDI3ODAkbzEkZzEkdDE3NTcyNDI4MjIkajE4JGwwJGgw These are the entries by event for the worlds, can someone explain how GB have 5 athletes in both the men's 800m and 1500m?

403 must be written in the stars. No way I picked that number as well.

I remember giving this a go last time and being horribly off, maybe I'll be closer this cycle. Aquatics: Artistic swimming: I'm hoping the squad can build off a historic medal in Paris and potentially qualify a team. The desire seems to be there as a large squad entered at the worlds. Kate Shortman didn't compete in Singapore but Izzy Thorpe did, so if she finds a partner then I would expect a pair to enter. (2-8 athletes) Diving: Like artistic swimming, the squad had a strong Paris performance and looks to be building towards LA with a mix of new and old faces in the worlds team. Again, I would expect a full squad, although numbers would vary due to doubling up between synchro and individual events (10-12 athletes) Open water swimming: Hector Pardoe was the only participant in Singapore, and I suspect he will be in with a shout of LA if he wants to. Amelie Blocksidge could also qualify if she focuses more on the open water. (1-2 athletes) Swimming: With the addition of stroke 50s, I'm hoping aquatics GB will lift the ridiculous roster cap of 30, especially with such a strong junior team coming through. The games could be a transitional for the swimming team, with the older generation passing on the torch (28-36 athletes) Water Polo: 12 teams will now be competing in the Women's tournament, with gives us a sniff of qualification. Albeit the worlds performance didn't fill me with confidence, but the opportunity is certainly there if some of the big European nations snap up global qualifying spots. (0-11 athletes) Archery: The team was certainly fortunate to qualify a full rota for Paris, and the odds are reduced this time with less team quotas. If we can find a decent male compound archer then the compound mixed team should be there, and both recurve squads have the ability (4-8 athletes) Athletics: 63 went to Paris, 66 will go to Tokyo, and I expect the number to be similar in LA, potentially with a few relay additions for the mixed 4x100. Certainly at a European youth level, the team is consistently strong, so hopefully this will translate to the senior team in a few years. (60-75 athletes) Badminton: A small team in Paris is likely to be repeated unless some new talent starts to emerge (1-5 athletes) Baseball: European silver in 2023 shows the squad is in contention for a European spot, with automatic qualification for the WBC in 2026 giving more opportunity. I wouldn't say we are favourites but the opportunity is there. (0-24 athletes) Softball: I would say this team is more likely than baseball but would still be up against it for European qualification, which is realistically the only route, Italy are the favourites but a single qualifier would make things interesting. (0-15) Basketball: In terms of 5x5, both teams seemed to have regressed despite a growing domestic scene, so qualification is highly unlikely. For 3x3, recent entries at the Europeans gives me some hope we are at least trying to qualify, but they are still underdogs. (0-4 athletes) Boxing: After Paris where my view that Olympic boxing is not fit for purpose was solidified by some rather dubious judging, I genuinely have no expectations for the team. Liverpool is hosting the worlds this year, and maybe with the implementation of World Boxing, the sport will improve. There will always be domestic strength across the home nations but it depends on so many factors. (5-10 athletes) Canoe Slalom: Potentially this could be a fresh squad as the old guard moves on. U23 results have been promising, particularly with the Leaver siblings, so a full squad could certainly qualify. (3-4 athletes) Canoe Sprint: After no athletes in Paris, I expect a similar storyline to unfolding in LA, although the women's K4 could certainly qualify (0-4 athletes) Cricket: One of our biggest qualification boosts, both teams seem virtually pre qualified, especially the men's if world rankings are used. (30 athletes) Cycling Road: After being the only nation to qualify a full squad (although there was only 1 entrant in each time trial) in Paris, I expect a similar team in LA, although it will be tight for both men and women (6-8 athletes) Track: There feels to be a constant influx of fresh talent in the track squads from junior level, so I expect a full track team like Paris (16 athletes) BMX Freestyle: I think a similar team to Paris is on the cards although I wouldn't be surprised if 2 from a gender qualify (2-3 athletes) BMX Racing: Despite most recent successes coming from Beth Shriever, the women's squad is much poorer than the men's. Despite this, I hope Emily Hutt can make the jump from U23 level (3-5 athletes) Mountain Biking: A full squad is on the cards if Pidcock and Richards can score enough ranking points (3-4 athletes). Equestrian: I expect a full squad comfortably. (9 athletes) Fencing: Carolina Stutchbury was so close the qualifying to Paris and I hope she can make it this time (0-1 athletes) Field Hockey: Despite a disappointing European's I expect the squads to bounce back in time for the LA (32 athletes) Flag Football: 5th at the world games was strong for the women, but with only 6 teams it will be tight. I hope one squad can sneak through (0-10 athletes) Football: Both teams clearly are capable of qualifying, but I suspect the men won't attempt. I am even doubtful about the women's as the argument to grow the game has subsided with recent successes (0-18 athletes) Golf: A mixed team event should be straightforward qualification with our depth (4-5 athletes) Artistic Gymnastics: Injury permitting, a full squad should qualify for both genders (8-10 athletes) Trampoline Gymnastics: (2-3 athletes) Judo: Paris was disappointing, and I don't think the squad is moving in the right direction (2-4 athletes) Lacrosse: I still haven't quite worked out our strength but I think both squads should snag European quotas (22 athletes) Modern Pentathlon: Depending on team limits I hope for a full squad, the new format may throw up some challenges (3-4 athletes) Rowing: A steady stream of junior talent should help top up most of the lake events. Coastal rowing is not as strong but a full squad is still possible (40-48) Rugby Sevens: Both squads seem to be winding down so I honestly have no idea. I hope the women's squad can take some strength from the 15s. (0-24) Sailing: A full squad should be possible (14 athletes) Shooting: Likely a similar team to Paris, with Shotgun dominating (5-10 athletes) Skateboarding: (2-4 athletes) Climbing: The separation of the events allows for more opportunities, and I expect a slightly larger team the Paris, likely entirely in Boulder and Lead (3-5 athletes) Squash: Numbers permitting, we should qualify a full team (2 athletes) Surfing: Sky Brown may qualify given she has lots of experience surfing in LA (0-1 athletes) Table Tennis: (2-4 athletes) Taekwondo: I'm not too sure because the qualification system is changing. (3-5 athletes) Tennis: Being on a hard court may encourage more athletes to compete: (9-12 athletes) Triathlon: A full womens team and 2 men for the relay (5) Volleyball: Bello twins have potential (0-2) Weightlifting: (0-3) Pessimistic: 341 Likely: 403 (Very) Optimistic: 541 We sent 327 to Paris but with all the new team sports a jump seems certain. Passing 400 certainly seems feasible, but it all depends on team sports qualification pathways.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cgr9k8ew97yo Sigh..... Maybe as an Englishman I'm biased, but I cannot see how entering an Olympic football tournament once every 4 years will affect the home nations independence in the eyes of FIFA/UEFA. Rugby manages it with the lions, why can't football?

There are the world boxing championships in Liverpool in September, I couldn't find an entry list but GB are sending some Olympians.

Shame for Angharad, looks like she's come down with the same thing as the US swimmers. I really thought she would be the one to break the fruitless spell for British female swimmers at this level.

Across all the knockout matches, England led for just 4 minutes. That was a 6th consecutive Euros final for England men’s, women’s and u21 teams.

FFS Eurovision Sport is down in the UK. Having to watch in French

If the rumours they use the 2026 T20 world cup are true (2028 would likely be too late for additional qualifiers), which is being hosted by then they would presumable take the top 4, and then have 2 qualifiers (or 1 if get a host spot). Top 2 from each group would thus qualify for the games. Group A: Group B: I would say the favourites for group A are and , whilst for Group B it is and . If were to get top 2 in group B, then that would throw up some added curveballs, but they would either arrange a specific Caribbean qualifier, or add another spot in the final qualifier. Realistically, the final spot(s), are likely to be taken by or , with the depth in women's cricket falling quite sharply after the big nations.

She joined the national training centre age 9. That's very early to just happen to spot such an immense talent.

People like to blame religion, or a lack thereof, on conflict. (India vs Pakistan, Gaza), but actually some of the root causes are even more fundamental. The Kashmir region supplies a significant amount of water to both India and Pakistan, and as most people are aware, water is life. Both sides can dance around the bush blaming each other for terrorism, escalating conflict or religious persecution, but resources are the driving factor in this conflict, even if nobody want to admit it. That is why it is vitally important that the fighting ceases, and significant international and diplomatic pressure is placed on both sides to revise the Indus Waters Treaty (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indus_Waters_Treaty), because the loss of life from drought, will be far more significant than successive border skirmishes and missile attacks we have seen currently.

Yeah, we have such a strong crop of Juniors, that we can’t take them all. They all have exciting trajectories but to predict what Junior swimmers will is always difficult. Better to let them all swim together at Juniors than rocketing them all up to seniors and swimming a prelim and going home.

It's kind of tough, nobody missed out, they took everyone who qualified (by their standards), they just didn't take all the discretionary spots they had available. That being said, Blocksidge had the World aquatics A time so she could have swim given there are no other distance swimmers (of either gender), in the squad. I would have taken Hanlon so that every stroke 100 has two swimmers per gender. She has the A time in the 200 so she could swim that too.