Team GB plan Olympic trials

A multi-sport British Olympic trials competition was close to becoming a reality last night after 16 cities plotted bids to co-host the revolutionary concept.

Broadcasters were also being lined up to televise the event, which would borrow from the successful United States model by pitting athletes against each other for a place on Team GB a month before each summer Games.

Up to eight sports were committed in principle to a competition that would be staged over two or three weekends from 2020 and part of which could take place on the Olympic Park in a bid to rekindle the magic of London 2012.

Plans to stage multi-sport British trials first emerged almost a year ago as part of the British Olympic Association’s drive to raise the profile of Olympic sports and athletes outside of Games time. Currently, each sport sets its own qualification criteria, which may or may not involve the staging of formal trials.

Swimming, gymnastics, rowing, hockey, triathlon, diving, taekwondo and rugby were last night in advanced talks over signing up to the concept for Tokyo 2020. The BOA was also trying to convince athletics to join them, having already all but given up on cycling being involved in the inaugural event.

That would likely take place across three cities, with 16 – including London – having declared an interest in bidding to co-host the competition.

BOA chief executive Bill Sweeney told The Sunday Telegraph a final decision on whether to go ahead with the concept would be taken before the end of the year. He added: “We’ve had some great support and encouragement from them to get us to this stage, but we’re taking nothing for granted.”