The British Olympic Association (BOA) is the National Olympic Committee for the United Kingdom. It is responsible for organising and overseeing the participation of athletes from the Great Britain and Northern Ireland Olympic Team, at both the summer and winter Olympic Games, the Youth Olympic Games, the European Youth Olympic Festivals, and at the European Games. The Isle of Man, the Channel Islands and UK Overseas Territories that do not have their own National Olympic Committee also fall under the BOA.
Every two years the team represents Great Britain and Northern Ireland in the summer or winter Olympic Games. The team is selected by the British Olympic Association, in conjunction with the governing bodies, from the best sportsmen and women to compete in 33 summer and seven winter Olympic sports at the greatest sporting event in the world.
The BOA is not funded or controlled by government, has no political interests and is completely dependent upon commercial sponsorship and fundraising income. The BOA is the strong, independent voice for British Olympic Sport.
The BOA’s role is to lead and prepare our nation’s finest athletes at the Olympic Games and it has the responsibility for developing the Olympic Movement throughout the UK.
In addition, the BOA delivers support services to Britain’s Olympic athletes and their National Governing Bodies throughout each Olympic cycle to assist them in their preparations for, and performances at the Games.
The British Paralympic Association (BPA) is the National Paralympic Committee for Great Britain (GB) and is responsible for the United Kingdom's participation in the Paralympic Games.
The BPA select, prepare, enter, fund and manage the Great Britain and Northern Ireland team at the Paralympic Games. This team is known as ParalympicsGB.
The BPA receive a restricted and ring-fenced investment from UK Sport to directly support the athlete preparation programmes across each Paralympic four-year cycle. This contributes to their overall ability to maintain a world leading Paralympic team, through supporting athlete education programmes.
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The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is the guardian of Olympic Games and the leader of the Olympic Movement.
A truly global organisation, it acts as a catalyst for collaboration between all Olympic stakeholders, including the athletes, the National Olympic Committees (BOA and BPA for Britain), the International Federations and the Organising Committees for the Olympic Games.
As an athlete, the IOC may affect you in several ways:
Representation and support: The IOC represents your interests on a global scale, advocating for athletes' rights, welfare, and opportunities. It provides support and resources to enable your participation in the Olympic Games and other international competitions.
Platform for competition: The IOC organises and oversees the Olympic Games, providing a prestigious platform for you to showcase your skills and compete against the world's best athletes. Participating in the Olympics can significantly impact your career, reputation, and opportunities for endorsements and sponsorships.
Promotion of values: The IOC promotes the values of Olympism, including excellence, respect, and friendship as well as solidarity. These values not only guide the conduct of athletes during competitions but also serve as a foundation for promoting sportsmanship, integrity, and mutual understanding both on and off the field.
Advocacy for clean sport: The IOC is committed to promoting clean and fair competition by combating doping and other forms of cheating. It implements stringent anti-doping measures and supports initiatives to ensure a level playing field for all athletes.
Opportunities for development: Through various programs and initiatives, the IOC supports the development of athletes at all levels, from grassroots to elite. This includes support in career transition, mental health and a variety of online learning courses.
Athlete365 serves as the community and vehicle to provide these opportunities.
Athlete365 has been created by athletes, for athletes with a mission to make athletes’ lives better and to grow the world’s biggest community of elite and Olympic-level athletes. By providing relevant advice, services and tools Athlete365 is unique positioned to support Athletes in the areas that they need it the most and at every stage of their career.
As athletes on the World Class Programme, you can access the Athlete365 platform – this is not limited to Olympians or Paralympians. Any elite athlete can access the resources.
Click here for more information.
UK Sport is a strategic investor in Olympic and Paralympic performance programmes. Pursuant to its Royal Charter and National Lottery Directions, UK Sport encourages, supports, and promotes high ethical standards from all recipients of its funding. High standards of conduct are important in upholding the positive impact of sport on society.
As a strategic, discretionary, investor of National Lottery and Exchequer funding in Olympic and Paralympic sports, Athletes and Athlete Support Personnel (“ASP”), UK Sport reserves the right to decide who is eligible to receive Public Funding and/or Publicly Funded Benefits through the Eligibility Policy. UK Sport’s guiding principle is that investment into Athletes and ASP is a privilege and not a right.
Where the conduct of an Athlete or ASP causes their eligibility for funding to be in question, UK Sport has established an Eligibility Panel to determine the individual cases for Athletes and ASP to receive Public Funding and/or Publicly Funded Benefits. An Athlete or ASP can be in breach of the Eligibility Policy for the following matters:
• Crimes • Anti-Doping Rule Violation
• Betting • Intentional Misrepresentation
• Misconduct
• Disrepute
• False statements, declarations and disclosure
UKAD is an active participant in the global fight against doping in sport. It is the national body responsible for creating a UK-wide environment of confidence in clean sport.
Whether it is in relation to those competing, training or spectating, UKAD is working for everyone who loves sport. In the UK, it makes sure sports bodies comply with the World Anti-Doping Code through implementation and management of the UK’s National Anti-Doping Policy.
UKAD works with a variety of stakeholders, including athletes, to protect the right to enjoy doping-free sport in the UK.
Athletes will typically have to undertake clean sport education and must ensure they understand the anti-doping rules and protocols, such as 'Whereabouts', as well as what’s prohibited, plus more.
Make sure you know the Anti-Doping Rules.
At its simplest UK Sport invest funds from The National Lottery and UK Government into Olympic and Paralympic athletes and sports.
This is so the best support can be provided to elite athletes to help them achieve their performance ambitions.
The UK Sports Institute (formerly the English Institute of Sport) provides outstanding support to athletes and sports through expert practitioners and world-leading support services. The UKSI is the largest single provider of science, medicine, technology, data and engineering services within the sport sector to Olympic and Paralympic sports in the UK, contributing to over 1,000 Olympic and Paralympic medals since inception in 2002.
Team GB is the Great Britain and Northern Ireland Olympic Team. Every two years the team represents Great Britain and Northern Ireland in the summer or winter Olympic Games. The team is selected by the British Olympic Association, in conjunction with the governing bodies, from the best sportsmen and women to compete in 33 summer and seven winter Olympic sports at the greatest sporting event in the world.
The sportsmen and women who are selected to participate at the Olympic Games become members of the Great Britain Olympic Team, Team GB. There is only one Olympic team from Great Britain and Northern Ireland; Team GB.
There is not an Olympic swimming team or Olympic rowing team. The individual sports join to become Team GB, the Great Britain and Northern Ireland Olympic Team.