‘One of the Worst Statistics in British Sport, and Wholly Unacceptable’: The Contribution of Privately Educated Members of Team GB to the Summer Olympic Games, 2000–2012

Figures & data

Table 1 The composition of Team GB, summer Olympics 2000–2012.

	Sydney 2000	Athens 2004	Beijing 2008	London 29 2012	London 22 2012
Team GB	313	262	316	542	397
Men	183	160	170	280	207
Percentage of Team	58.5	61.1	53.8	51.7	52.1
Women	130	102	146	262	190
Percentage of team	41.5	38.9	46.2	48.3	47.9
Sports	23	22	22	29	20
Independent	41	54	73	94	94
Percentage of team	13.1	20.6	23.1	17.3	23.7
Men	30	37	39	46	46
Percentage of men	16.4	23.1	22.9	16.4	22.2
Women	11	17	34	48	48
Percentage of women	8.5	16.7	23.3	18.3	25.3

Table 2 Top-eight finalists for Team GB, summer Olympics 2000–2012.

	Sydney 2000	Athens 2004	Beijing 2008	London 29 2012	London 22 2012
Non-IS in team	272	208	243	448	303
Top-eight finalists	97	92	134	166	166
Percentage of non-IS	35.7	44.2	55.1	37.1	54.8
Average points	1.65	2.18	2.47	1.79	2.65
IS in team	41	54	73	94	94
Top-eight finalists	33	30	58	73	73
Percentage of IS	80.5	55.6	79.5	77.7	77.7
Average points	4.34	2.81	4.07	4.47	4.47

Note: IS, independent schools.

Table 3 Selected independent school top-eight finalists for Team GB, summer Olympics 2000—2012.

	Sydney 2000			Athens 2004			Beijing 2008			London 2012			Total 2000–2012
	Top 8	IS	Av pts	Top 8	IS	Av pts	Top 8	IS	Av pts	Top 8	IS	Av pts	Top 8	IS	%
Athletics	4	5	3.00	1	6	0.83	5	7	2.71	3	10	1.30	13	28	46.4
Cycling	2	2	7.00	1	2	4.00	2	2	7.50	2	2	5.50	7	8	87.5
Equestrianism	2	3	3.00	4	5	4.60	7	7	5.00	8	8	7.38	21	23	91.3
Hockey	7	7	3.00	0	5	0.00	10	10	3.50	14	14	5.77	31	36	86.1
Modern pentathlon	2	2	7.00	2	2	3.50	1	1	7.00	0	0	0.00	5	5	100
Rowing	12	14	6.00	9	17	3.24	19	21	5.74	24	24	6.13	64	76	84.2
Sailing	2	2	8.00	4	4	5.50	4	6	5.33	4	4	7.25	14	16	87.5
Swimming	3	6	2.00	8	8	3.13	7	9	3.44	7	8	2.75	25	31	80.6

Note: Top 8 =  the number of IS competitors who reached the top eight in their best event; IS =  the number of competitors from independent schools; Av pts =  the average points of all IS competitors in the sport – eight for first, seven for second, etc.; % =  the percentage of all IS competitors in the sport who reached the top eight in their best event.

Table 4 Medallists (or top three) for Team GB, summer Olympics 2000–2012.

	Sydney 2000	Athens 2004	Beijing 2008	London 29 2012	London 22 2012
Non-IS in team	272	208	243	448	303
Medallists	32	36	44	67	67
Percentage of non-IS	11.8	17.3	18.1	15.0	22.1
IS in team	41	54	73	94	94
Medallists	16	15	26	45	45
Percentage of IS	39.0	27.3	35.6	47.9	47.9
Percentage of medallists					Overall
Non-IS	67.3	73.4	62.3	62.5	65.5
IS	32.7	26.6	37.7	37.5	34.5

Note: IS, independent schools.

Table

School	2000	2004	2008	2012	2000–2012	Co-ed (c) or Single-sex (s)	Board (b), day (d) or mix (m)	Scholarship possible
Abbey Gate, Chester				1	1	c	d	Yes
Abingdon		1	1		2	s	m	Yes
American School in London		1			1	c	d	No
Bablake		1	1	1	3	s	d	No
Bedford				1	1	s	m	Yes
Bedford High^a	1^d				1	s	d	No
Bedford Modern	1				1	c	d	Yes
Bedgebury, Hawkhurst			1	1	2	s	b	No
Belmont Grosvenor		1	1	1	3	c	d	No
Benenden		1			1	s	b	Yes
Bishop's Stortford				1	1	c	m	Yes
Bolton Boys'				1	1	s	d	No
Bootham		1			1	c	m	No
Bradford Grammar			1	2	3	s	d	No
Brentwood			1		1	c	m	Yes
Brighton & Hove High	1	1			2	s	d	Yes
Bristol Grammar				1	1	s	d	Yes
Bromsgrove				1	1	c	m	Yes
Christ's Hospital		1			1	c	m	No
Clifton			1	1	2	c	m	Yes
Coleraine Academical		1	2	3	6	s	d	No
Culford			1^d		1	c	m	Yes
Cundall Manor		1	1	1	3	c	d	No
Dame Alice Harpur^a		1	1		2	s	d	No
Dean Close			1		1	c	m	Yes
Dollar Academy				1	1	c	m	No
Downe House			2	1	3	s	m	Yes
Dulwich	1	2			3	s	m	Yes
Elizabeth College, Guernsey	1	1		1	3	s	d	No
Ellesmere	1	1		1	3	c	m	Yes
Eltham				1	1	s	d	Yes
Eton	3	3	3	3	12	s	b	No
Ewell Castle		1			1	c	d	Yes
Exeter			2		2	c	d	No
Farnborough Hill			1	1	2	s	d	Yes
George Watson's	1	1	1	1	4	c	d	No
Glasgow Academy			1	1	2	c	d	No
Glenalmond			1	1	2	c	m	Yes
Gordonstoun				2	2	c	m	No
Hampton	1			1	2	s	d	No
Headington			1	1	2	s	m	Yes
High School of Dundee				1	1	c	d	No
Howell's, Llandaff				1	1	s	d	No
Hulme Grammar, Oldham				1	1	s	d	No
Hurst Lodge, Ascot			1	1	2	c	m	No
Ipswich				1	1	c	m	Yes
James Allen's	1				1	s	d	Yes
Kelly	2^d	1	2^d		5	c	m	Yes
King Edward VI, Southampton	1	2	2	2	7	c	d	No
King Edward's, Bath				1	1	c	d	Yes
King's College School				1	1	s	d	Yes
King's, Canterbury	2	1	1	2	6	c	m	Yes
King's, Chester		1	3	4	8	c	d	No
King's, Ely		1	1	1	3	c	m	Yes
King's, Macclesfield				1	1	c	d	No
King's, Tynemouth^b		1			1	c	d	No
King's, Worcester			1	1	2	c	d	No
Kingston Grammar	4	4		1	9	c	d	Yes
Ladies' College, Guernsey				1	1	s	d	No
Latymer Upper			1		1	c	d	Yes
Lincoln Minster			1	1	2	c	m	No
Loughborough Grammar		1			1	s	m	No
Manor House, Honiton	1	1	1	1	4	c	d	No
Mary Erskine				2	2	s	m	No
Millfield	5^d	2	4^d	5^d	16	c	m	Yes
Monkton Combe	1	1	2	1	5	c	m	Yes
Monmouth			1		1	s	m	Yes
Morrison's Academy			1		1	c	d	No
Northampton High		1	1	1	3	s	d	Yes
Norwich			1^d	1	2	c	d	Yes
Norwich High			1^d	2	3	s	d	No
Nottingham High		1	1	1	3	s	d	No
Nottingham High Girls'		1			1	s	d	No
Oakham			1	1	2	c	m	Yes
Oratory		1			1	s	m	Yes
Oundle		2	1		3	c	m	Yes
Oxford High			1	1	2	s	d	Yes
Pangbourne			1	1	2	c	m	Yes
Perse Girls'	1^d		1^d		2	s	d	No
Plymouth			1	1	2	c	m	Yes
Portsmouth High			1	1	2	s	d	Yes
Prior Park				1^d	1	c	m	Yes
Queen's, Chester		1	1	1	3	s	d	No
Reed's	1	1			2	c	m	Yes
Reigate Grammar		1			1	c	d	Yes
Repton	1		1	1	3	c	m	Yes
Robert Gordon's		1	1	1	3	c	d	No
Rosemead	1	1	1		3	s	m	No
Shiplake	1			1	2	s	m	Yes
Solihull	1	1			2	c	d	Yes
St Bede's, Manchester			1		1	c	d	No
St Catherine's, Twickenham				1	1	s	d	No
St Edward's, Cheltenham				1	1	c	d	Yes
St George's, Weybridge			1	1	2	c	d	Yes
St Mary's, Calne			1	1	2	s	m	Yes
St Mary's, Crosby			1	1	2	c	d	No
St Maur's, Weybridge^c		1	1		2	s	m	No
St Paul's	1	1	1		3	s	d	No
Stamford	1				1	s	m	Yes
Stewart's Melville			1	1	2	s	m	No
Stowe			1	1	2	c	m	Yes
Sutton Valence			1	1	2	c	m	Yes
Teesside High				1	1	s	d	Yes
The Leys			1	1	2	c	m	Yes
The Royal Wolverhampton				1	1	c	m	Yes
Trinity				1	1	s	d	Yes
Truro	1	1	1	2	5	c	m	Yes
Wadhurst^c	1	1			2	s	m	No
Wellingborough			1	1	2	c	d	Yes
Wellington	1				1	c	m	Yes
West Buckland	1				1	c	m	Yes
Whitgift				1	1	s	d	Yes
William Hulme, Manchester^b	1	1			2	c	d	No
Wimbledon High				1	1	s	d	Yes
Winchester				1	1	s	m	No
Worth	1		1		2	c	m	Yes
Yarm				1	1	c	d	No
^aNow combined ^bNow academies ^cNow closed	^dFour competitors attended two schools				266 or 262	66c 51s	3b 52d 62 m	52n 65y