Great Britain currently sits seventh in the Olympic medal table for the 2024 Games in Paris, but a historical twist has seen one of their medals reassigned. Team GB boasts a total of 11 medals so far, including three gold, five silver, and three bronze. However, their current tally might not be permanent, as previous Games have seen medals revoked years later.
This isn't the first time a medal has been reassigned. In a famous case, Jamaican sprinting legend Usain Bolt lost his gold medal for the 4x100m relay from the 2008 Beijing Games, nine years after the event, when Nesta Carter tested positive for a banned substance. But the most recent and bizarre instance occurred just last month, 124 years after the medal was initially awarded.
This unusual occurrence took place at the 1900 Olympic Games in Paris. Lloyd Hildebrand, a British-born cyclist who grew up in France and even married a French woman, won a silver medal in the men's 25km race. Back then, athletes only needed to pay an entry fee and submit their licence number, which was "established by the national federation where they were regularly competing".
After thorough research, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) decided to reassign the medal to France on 17 June 2024. Their reasoning? Hildebrand, although a British citizen, had spent his formative years in France and competed for a French club before and after the 1900 Games. The IOC's statement on the Olympic website explained their decision: "Recent research has now concluded that, even though Hildebrand was a British citizen, he brought up in France, and competed for a French club before and after Paris 1900. Based on this newfound information, the IOC EB decided to apply the same policy as in previous cases brought to the IOCâs 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 IOCâs database."
This unexpected change highlights the evolving nature of Olympic history and how even historical medals can be subject to revision based on new evidence. It remains to be seen if any more medals from the current Paris Games will face similar fate.