Over 500 athletes are set to represent Great Britain at the 2012 Olympics, according to the National Olympic Committee. The number represents a significant increase on the Beijing cohort, which numbered 311 (a total the Mayor would doubtless call Thermopylaeic). That would average out to around 10 men and 10 women in every sport, of which there are 26. The swollen head count (you decide where the hyphen goes) is dependent on the British Olympic Association raising a further £4 million to support the athletes. The red, white and blue army will be the greatest British contingent since the 1908 London Olympics, and one of the largest teams at the 2012 games.
