Rafa Maciel

Tom Pidcock makes MTB return this weekend at Nove Mesto giving a fighting chance to get back into the top 8 and to secure 2 quota spots. We need to net about 90 points more then Denmark.

Technically it's 42 for GBR if you include the 2 cox from the 8s.

I've seen the reallocation list but still can't find anywhere the criteria for getting on it. I thought initially that all LIV golfers were excluded but that's not the case so unless Hatton has said that he is not interested in competing I can't see why he wouldn't be the 1st reserve for GB

Why doesn't Tyrrell Hatton count at 18? Can't be the fact that he joined LIV as John Rahm is showing as qualified.

Not sure if we've covered this already, but it looks like we are going to have a change to the format of the 3-Day Eventing competition when we get to LA. The IOC told the FEI at the end of last year that they had to come up with a new format for eventing and a proposal was submitted at the start of March. The changes will see the team competition run as a short format competition with dressage to be followed by showjumping on day 2 and the cross-country phase being held on day 3. The individual competition would remain in the long format with a further round of show jumping taking place the day after the cross-country. The rational for the change is that the IOC and OBS wanted the medals to be awarded after the cross-country phase of the competition because that is seen as the most popular part of the competition with the biggest degree of viewer engagement.

had a decent lightweight program through the Rio cycle having taken silver in London with Purchase/Hunter. They were still fielding an entry in the event at world championship level through to 2019 but post covid the program never really recovered and there are now no lightweight men on the squad.

have announced the short list of 12 rider/horse combinations for eventing competition in Paris. Ros Canter - Lordships Graffalo: Canter's preferred horse and European champion from last year and winner of Badminton in 2023. Hasn't had the best of starts in 2024 finishing 12th at 4* in Thoresby Park Ros Canter - Izilot DHI: Back up option for Canter - was due to compete at Badminton but was withdrawn. Was 6th in 4^ event at Thoresby Park in March and won the 5* event in Pau last year. Laura Collett - London 52: Park of the gold medal winning team from Tokyo in 2021. Won the 4* event in Burnham Market last month and finished 5th in 4* event at Thoresby Park. Yasmin Ingham - Banzai Du Loir: 2022 World champion. Competed in Lexington last month and finished 3rd. Also finished 3rd in 4* event at Thoresby Park. Yasmin Ingham - Rehy DJ: Ingham's back up option - finished 11th at 4* at Thoresby Park in March. Emily King - Valmy Biats: Has already competed 3 times this year with best result coming at Badminton where they finished 4th. They also won the 4* event at Thoresby Park. Kitty King - Vendredi Biats: Withdrew from the 4* event at Thoresby park but returned at Burnham Market's 4* event with 3rd place. Tom Jackson - Capels Hollow Drift: Finished 5th at this year's Badminton after an underwhelming 23rd at the 4* event at Burnham Market. Tom McEwen - JL Dublin: McEwen is the individual silver medalist from Tokyo (although on different horse) This combination finished 2nd at Lexington earlier this month after winning the 4* event at Kronenberg in March. Oliver Townend - Ballaghmor Class: Finished 5th at Tokyo Olympics. Was due to compete at Badminton but was withdrawn before competition got underway. Is one of the most consistent combinations on the British team - winning last year's Burghley competition with 2nd place finishes at Badminton and Alnwick 5*. Oliver Townend - Cooley Rosalent: Likely regarded as Townend's back up horse but given they won Lexington last month and were 2nd at the 4* at Burnham Market, it's a strong back up to have. Bubby Upton - Cola: Put in decent showing at Badminton with a top-10 finish having finished 2nd at 4* at Kronenberg in March. Barring injury, I think the favourites for selection have got to be world Number 1 Townend, Number 2, Canter and Number 4 McEwen with Ingham (World number 8) probably going as a travelling reserve.

Jaime Bittner will not be competing in Paris due to the death of his horse Eden. As the qualification applied to the horse and rider combination, it means he will not be eligible and the quota will be reallocated.

Fractured collarbone for Shriever

Agree the sport has been financially mismanaged and that has had impact on their ability to stage events and may also have impacted some decisions when it comes to team selection for international competitions but it should not really an issue when it comes to the Olympics because it is the BOA who pick up the bill for sending the team rather than UK Athletics.

Could post this is the specific sport thread but as it's more about governance and structure rather than performance, figured it probably would fit here. GB Basketball have announced changes to the management of the game in UK. Although they aren't doing away with the home nations approach, it looks like they are going to deliver a greater degree of collaboration across Basketball England, Basketball Scotland, Basketball Wales and the British Basketball Federation with the BBF taking a more central role and aligning the sport in UK with FIBA requirements. A fresh approach for improving and growing basketball in Britain – British Basketball This, taken in conjunction with the recent announcements on the 3x3 program is positive progress as we begin to think about the LA Olympic cycle. In a separate announcement, BBF have announced new partnership with Subway. No specific details have been shared but I am hoping that the support is going to be more tangible than providing 50% discount on a foot-long sub. Subway are also going to be partnering with GB Skateboarding and Breaking GB Apparently the three sports were selected on the basis of a poll which suggested that "emerging sports" would make people more comfortable and motivated to participate compared to traditional sports. I always take poll results with a pinch of salt, but the notion that breaking would be the second most popular emerging sport for people in the UK must be nonsense.

Oh man! Don't tell me the contagion is spreading!

/ bow out of the Nations Cup in the semi finals with a 2-0 loss to . The loss to Estonia yesterday ultimately cost them dearly so they ended up facing Germany in the semi-finals rather than the final. In an added galling twist, - who we defeated yesterday - will contest the final after they managed to overcome . Hate to say it, but don't think the Bello brothers will have a spot in the draw for Paris.

Small answer: Yes they can

Team Sprint or should that be Team Pursuit?

Not a shock perhaps given there was nothing really at stake, but I am a bit surprised that were 4 seconds adrift of

/ notch up another win against , taking the tie 2-0 Big match against this afternoon

Nations Cup Results Day 1: / 2 - 1 Bello brothers won both of their matches whilst Bialokoz/Batrane lost in a couple of tight set. / 0 - 2 Both matches lost in 3 tight sets. / are up against later this morning.

On the question of current form - particularly for the long-distance events - I don't think the requirement should necessarily be interpreted that they have to achieve the OQS after April. Both Dever and Keith were 23 seconds outside of the OQS so I'm a bit confused how that would indicate Keith is in form, but Dever isn't. Surely that should mean they've either both done enough to show current form or neither of them have shown current form? When it comes to selection for distance events, I wouldn't look at them in isolation - Dever has the OQS for 5000m so, assuming he finishes inside top-2 at trials will be going to Paris. If he's already going and gets an invite for 10,000m, there would be no reason for UK Athletics to turn it down. Likewise for Warner-Judd, if she is able to get on the squad for the 5000m, she'd be allowed to run the 10 if she gets an invite. The bigger question is whether there will actually be any invites for the 10000m - can't recall if there were any given for Budapest.

I'd say there's a couple of issues within BMX Racing squad at the moment. The biggest problem GB have on the women's side is that they rely entirely on Shriever to maintain their results. The good news on that front is that by the time we are looking at qualifying for LA, Emily Hutt should have moved up to the elite level and we'll hopefully have Sienna Harvey and Betsy Bax still on the squad in under-23s. Was watching the 10ks so haven't watched the World Champs yet but from what I've seen of Shriever so far this season, she has a tendency that when she isn't challenging for the win, she will ease up a bit - she's not really interested in fighting for 4th. She hasn't shown the kind of form this year that we have perhaps come to expect of her, but as an Olympic and World Champion, she knows how to win when it matters and has earned the right to have an occasional off-day. On the men's side, it's almost the opposite problem - we've got great depth in the squad, but they haven't been able to string a consistent set of results together

Well I didn't have that on my bingo card for the weekend - Molly Caudery has 3 failures at 4.54m in Atlanta City Games. Finishes with a lowly 4.39m - and even that took 2 attempts.

are all but guaranteed a 2nd quota on the men's side. The fight for the final double quota spot will come down to v . Will be interesting to see the next rankings list when it comes out on Tuesday to see whether the gap between the two nations is small enough for GB to move into 8th place after the Europeans at the end of the month. Agree this has been a pretty poor World Champs for - not because Whyte didn't perform in the final, but Isidore crashed out in the 1/8 finals and Ross Cullen couldn't even make it out of the repechage.

You and your deepfakes!!

Harry Coppell coming mightily close to no heighting in back-to-back competitions. Finally gets over 5.22m at his 3rd attempt - that's his first successful vault since January 2023.

Team GB have revealed the opening and closing ceremony uniforms. The opening outfit is OK for what it is, but the closing outfits wouldn't look out of place in an episode of Hawaii Five-0 Can't see many people rushing to splash 90 quid to look like Alfie from Eastenders.