Why was Team GB stripped of an Olympic medal? Lloyd Hildebrand’s triumph reassigned to 2024 hosts France
Team GB are targeting a record medal haul at the Olympics but they arrive in Paris having already lost one to 2024 hosts France.
Great Britain returns to the French capital for the third Games held in the 'City of Love' but with no love lost between the two nations.
As one of the original powerhouses of the first Olympics in 1896, Team GB was in fine shape for the second edition four years later.
At Paris 1900, the performances of over a hundred delegates propelled the home nations to a third-place finish.
Team GB claimed 15 golds, eight silvers and nine bronze medals but 124 years later they were stripped of one of these. Here's why...
Why was Team GB stripped of an Olympic medal?
In June 2024, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) confirmed that one of Team GB's medals had been reassigned to France.
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For over a century, Team GB had long claimed Lloyd Hildebrand’s silver medal that he won in the men's 25km cycling race as their own.
That was because Hildebrand was born in Tottenham, England and was a British citizen at the time of the first Paris Olympics in 1900.
124 years later, the IOC announced France instead were the recipient of the medal after mistakenly claiming that he was born in France.
What was true was that Hildebrand had longstanding roots in 'La France', having lived in Levallois-Perret, where he later died in 1924.
Crucially, the former cyclist also raced as part of the Club des Sports, whose base resided in the Parisian suburb that he'd made his home.
And this is the deciding factor behind the IOC agreeing with French sports historian Stephane Gachet to reassign Hildebrand's medal.
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In the early editions of the Olympics, registration for athletes was more informal until a rule change around nationality in 1920.
Unlike the qualification for Paris 2024, National Olympic Committees (NOCs) were not involved in the process of selecting competitors.
Instead, athletes paid an entry fee and their licence number was established by the national federation where they were based and regularly competing in - regardless of citizenship. Any medals won were thus awarded to that nation.
As a result, Hildebrand's silver medal was reassigned based on the NOC of the French club he competed for, before and after, Paris 1900.
A statement read: "Based on this newfound information, the IOC EB decided to apply the same policy as in previous cases brought to the IOC’s attention.
"The medal won by Hildebrand will now be credited to France instead of Great Britain in the official records of the Olympic Games Paris 1900 and in the IOC’s database."
The IOC's executive board agreed to the switch in June, and the record books now shows an all-French podium in Hildebrand's event, with gold medalist Louis Bastien and bronze winner Auguste Daumain.
Team GB, who are targeting a record number of podiums in Paris, now have extra work to win back what they lost 124 years ago.
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A Team GB spokesperson told the BBC: "We were aware of the change of status for the medal, and have ourselves benefited in such circumstances before.
"We shall try to win one back later this summer!"