Team GB to start taking shape ahead of Tokyo 2020
Great Britain’s Olympic team will begin to take shape on Tuesday when members of the sailing squad are first to have their qualification places confirmed for Tokyo 2020.
The GB sailors – who won two gold medals and one silver in Rio – are the only team to have qualified a full quota of boats for the Games.
With the team announcements set to continue over the coming months, the PA news agency takes a look at the kind of line-up we can expect to see in Japan next year.
Girl power
Female athletes – including a GB football team – are expected to outnumber their male counterparts in a Great Britain Olympic team for the first time, though it will chiefly depend on the qualification success (or otherwise) of the respective hockey squads.
Big numbers
The size of the final GB team could stretch to 380 athletes, which would be a slight increase on Rio. Over 150 quota places have already been guaranteed, with only the individual identities of the qualified athletes yet to be determined by their respective governing bodies and the British Olympic Association.
Young guns
The squad looks increasingly likely to feature Britain’s youngest summer Olympian, with 11-year-old Sky Brown on track to qualify after winning a bronze medal at the Skateboard Park World Championships in Sao Paulo earlier in September.
Star quality
A slew of big names are on track to defend their titles in Tokyo, including Adam Peaty, the Kennys and Max Whitlock, while Mo Farah looks set to shift his focus towards adding an Olympic marathon title to his considerable previous track success.
No-go
Great Britain will not be represented across the board in Tokyo. Surfing, karate and wrestling are unlikely to feature in any Union Jack-waving itineraries, along with team sports like handball and indoor volleyball. The biggest continued absence, largely for political reasons, remains a men’s football team.
