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Great Britain At The 1996 Summer Olympics
Great Britain, represented by the British Olympic Association (BOA), competed at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, United States. British athletes have competed in every single Summer Olympic Games. 300 competitors, 184 men and 116 women, took part in 175 events in 22 sports. The Atlanta games saw Great Britain's worst performance at a Summer Olympics since 1952, finishing in 36th position with a single gold medal, and 15 medals overall. The "rock bottom" British performance at the Atlanta Olympics led to a period of soul searching about the state of British sport. Insufficient funding was identified as a major factor in the poor performance, and this led to a wholesale reform of how elite sports were funded, organised and supported in the UK: At the instigation of the then Prime Minister John Major, UK Sport was created the following year; a public body which distributes National Lottery funding for elite sports, Previously, due to a lack of funding, cyclist Chris Boardman ha ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
British Olympic Association
The British Olympic Association (BOA; ) is the National Olympic Committee for the United Kingdom. It represents the four constituent countries of the United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland), but also incorporate representatives from eight of the eleven inhabited British Overseas Territories (but not British Virgin Islands Olympic Committee, British Virgin Islands, Bermuda Olympic Association, Bermuda or Cayman Islands Olympic Committee, Cayman Islands which have their own national Olympic associations), and the three Crown Dependencies (Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man), who do not have their own separate Olympics teams because the majority of the British Overseas Territories and the three Crown Dependencies have their own national teams which is currently used in the Commonwealth Games. Athletes from Northern Ireland are also entitled, as of right, to represent Ireland at the Olympics, Ireland (the team organised by the Olympic Federation of Ireland) ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Matthew Pinsent
Sir Matthew Clive Pinsent, (; born 10 October 1970) is an English rower and broadcaster. During his rowing career, he won 10 world championship gold medals and four consecutive Olympic gold medals. Since retiring, he has worked as a sports broadcaster for the BBC. Early life and family Pinsent was born on 10 October 1970 in Holt, Norfolk. His father was the Rev. Ewen Macpherson Pinsent (1930–2020), curate of St Andrew's parish church, Kelso, Scottish Borders, and his mother, Jean Grizel, came from a distinguished military family. Through his own aristocratic and military family, Pinsent is directly descended from King Edward I and William the Conqueror. Rowing Student rower Matthew Pinsent attended Aysgarth School in North Yorkshire before he began rowing at Eton College. He began his international career at the World Rowing Junior Championships in 1987. He raced again in 1988, winning the junior coxless pairs with Tim Foster. After finishing school, Pinsent read ge ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Paul Palmer (swimmer)
Paul Palmer (born 18 October 1974 in Lincoln, England) is a former international freestyle swimmer for England and Great Britain. Early life He lived on Longdales Road, and attended Lincoln Christ's Hospital School. Swimming career Coached by Ian Turner at the City of Lincoln Pentaqua Swimming Club, Palmer qualified for the 200 m, 400 m and 1500 m freestyle at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, finishing a respectable 9th position (winning the "B" final) in the 200 m, and 10th position in the 400 m. After this success, in order to increase his chances of a medal at the following Atlanta games, Palmer relocated to Bath, along with Turner. Training in a 50 m pool, alongside other Olympic hopefuls at the performance centre allowed Palmer to further increase his swimming skills. Palmer won the silver medal in the 400 m freestyle at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia. A year later, at the 1997 European Aquatics Championships in Seville, he ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jonathan Edwards (triple Jumper)
Jonathan David Edwards, (born 10 May 1966) is a British former triple jumper. He is an Olympic, double World, European, European indoor and Commonwealth champion, and has held the world record in the event since 1995. Edwards is widely regarded as the greatest triple-jumper in history. Following his retirement as an athlete, Edwards has worked as a sports (primarily athletics) commentator and presenter for BBC television, before moving to Eurosport. In 2011 he was elected President of the Wenlock Olympian Society following the death of its then President, Roy Rogers. He was a member of the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games for the 2012 games. Education Edwards was born in Westminster, London and attended West Buckland School in Devon where his potential for the triple jump was spotted at an early age. He was a strong all-rounder, and on leaving received the school's top award for sporting and academic excellence, the Fortescue Medal. C ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Steve Backley
Stephen James Backley, OBE (born 12 February 1969) is an English retired track and field athlete who competed in the javelin throw. He formerly held the world record, and his throw from 1992 is the British record. During his career, he was a firm fixture in the British national athletics team. He won four gold medals at the European Championships, three Commonwealth Games gold medals, two silvers and a bronze at the Olympic Games, and two silvers at the World Championships. Currently, he is an occasional commentator for athletics competitions, especially the field events. Career Early life Backley was educated at Hurst Primary School, Bexley, and later at Bexley and Erith Technical High School for Boys (now Beths Grammar School) in his teens. He was a member of the South East London-based Cambridge Harriers Athletics club, and competed for Bexley in the London Youth Games. He enrolled at Loughborough University in October 1988 to study for a BSc Honours degree in physic ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ben Ainslie
Sir Charles Benedict Ainslie (born 5 February 1977) is a British sailing (sport), competitive sailor. Ainslie is the most successful sailor in Olympic history. He won medals at five consecutive Olympics from 1996 onwards, including gold at four consecutive Games from 2000 to 2012. He is one of three men to win medals in five different Olympic Games in sailing, doing so after Torben Grael and Robert Scheidt, and the second to win four gold medals, after Paul Elvstrøm. Ainslie is CEO of Athena Sports Group which includes the roles of Team Principal, CEO and Skipper of Athena Racing and CEO of the Emirates Great Britain SailGP Team. He is also a Patron of the 1851 Trust, a British charity that supports young people in sailing and STEM education. Early life Ainslie was born in Macclesfield, England to Roddy and Sue Ainslie. Roddy captained a boat that took part in the first Whitbread Round The World Race in 1973. Ben's elder sister, Fleur, is married to Jerome Pels, former secret ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cycling
Cycling, also known as bicycling or biking, is the activity of riding a bicycle or other types of pedal-driven human-powered vehicles such as balance bikes, unicycles, tricycles, and quadricycles. Cycling is practised around the world for purposes including transport, recreation, exercise, and competitive sport. History Cycling became popularized in Europe and North America in the latter part and especially the last decade of the 19th century. Today, over 50 percent of the human population knows how to ride a bike. War The bicycle has been used as a method of reconnaissance as well as transporting soldiers and supplies to combat zones. In this it has taken over many of the functions of horses in warfare. In the Second Boer War, both sides used bicycles for scouting. In World War I, France, Germany, Australia and New Zealand used bicycles to move troops. In its 1937 invasion of China, Japan employed some 50,000 bicycle troops, and similar forces were instrumental in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tennis
Tennis is a List of racket sports, racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles (tennis), singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles (tennis), doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket strung with a cord to strike a hollow rubber tennis ball, ball covered with felt over or around a net and into the opponent's tennis court, court. The object is to manoeuvre the ball in such a way that the opponent is not able to play a valid return. If a player is unable to return the ball successfully, the opponent scores a Point (tennis), point. Playable at all levels of society and at all ages, tennis can be played by anyone who can hold a racket, including Wheelchair tennis, wheelchair users. The original forms of tennis developed in France during the late Middle Ages. The modern form of tennis originated in Birmingham, England, in the late 19th century as lawn tennis. It had close connections to various field (lawn) games such as croqu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Swimming
Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, such as saltwater or freshwater environments, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Swimmers achieve locomotion by coordinating limb and body movements to achieve hydrodynamic thrust that results in directional motion. Newborns can instinctively hold their breath underwater and exhibit rudimentary swimming movements as part of a survival reflex. Swimming requires endurance, skill and efficient techniques to maximize speed and minimize energy consumption. Swimming is a popular activity and competitive sport where certain techniques are deployed to move through water. It offers numerous health benefits, such as strengthened circulatory system, cardiovascular health, muscle strength, and increased flexibility. It is suitable for people of all ages and fitness levels. Swimming is consistently among the top public recreational activities, and in some countries, swimming lessons are a compulsory part of the edu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sailing
Sailing employs the wind—acting on sails, wingsails or kites—to propel a craft on the surface of the ''water'' (sailing ship, sailboat, raft, Windsurfing, windsurfer, or Kitesurfing, kitesurfer), on ''ice'' (iceboat) or on ''land'' (Land sailing, land yacht) over a chosen Course (navigation), course, which is often part of a larger plan of navigation. From prehistory until the second half of the 19th century, sailing craft were the primary means of maritime trade and transportation; exploration across the seas and oceans was reliant on sail for anything other than the shortest distances. Naval power in this period used sail to varying degrees depending on the current technology, culminating in the gun-armed sailing warships of the Age of Sail. Sail was slowly replaced by steam as the method of propulsion for ships over the latter part of the 19th century – seeing a gradual improvement in the technology of steam through a number of developmental steps. Steam allowed schedul ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Athletics
Athletics may refer to: Sports * Sport of athletics, a collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking ** Track and field, a sub-category of the above sport * Athletics (physical culture), competitions based on human qualities of stamina, fitness, and skill ** College athletics, non-professional, collegiate- and university-level competitive physical sports and games Teams * Athletics (baseball), an American professional baseball team currently based in West Sacramento, California, with no city designation, previously known as: ** Philadelphia Athletics (1901–1954) ** Kansas City Athletics (1955–1967) ** Oakland Athletics (1968–2024) * Philadelphia Athletics (1860–1876), an American professional baseball team * Philadelphia Athletics (American Association), an American professional baseball team, 1882–1890 * Philadelphia Athletics (1890–1891), an American professional baseball team * Philadelphia Athletics (NFL), an Americ ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rowing
Rowing is the act of propelling a human-powered watercraft using the sweeping motions of oars to displace water and generate reactional propulsion. Rowing is functionally similar to paddling, but rowing requires oars to be mechanically attached to the boat, and the rower drives the oar like a lever, exerting force in the ''same'' direction as the boat's travel; while paddles are completely hand-held and have no attachment to the boat, and are driven like a cantilever, exerting force ''opposite'' to the intended direction of the boat. In some strict terminologies, using oars for propulsion may be termed either "pulling" or "rowing", with different definitions for each. Where these strict terminologies are used, the definitions are reversed depending on the context. On saltwater a "pulling boat" has each person working one oar on one side, alternating port and starboard along the length of the boat; whilst "rowing" means each person operates two oars, one on each side of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
