Robertson added: “This is a very competitive business – the time margins that separate success and failure at Olympic sport are tiny – but set against this, nobody ever thought that we would do better in Rio than we did in London and by the same token there is no reason, given the fundamental structure of British Olympic sport and the way it is geared to deliver medal success that we shouldn’t have a very, very good games indeed in Tokyo”.
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Despite that optimism and the high expectations which will follow in the wake of Rio and the increased funding, Robertson also issued a word of caution about Team GB surpassing their achievement in Brazil.
Downing Street also said there would be “no formal cap” on the number of honours after their “amazing two weeks” that can be handed out to Team GB medal winners.
The Boeing 747 will carry 320 athletes and support staff – as well as pole vaults, javelins, bicycles and a 6.7 metre sail – with a press conference scheduled for shortly after landing.
Those members of the squad who stayed in Rio for Sunday’s closing ceremony are due to land in London at 10am on British Airways flight BA2016, which has been decorated with a gold nose and the name “victoRIOus” on its livery.
The 11-hour flight back to London saw the athletes post several pictures to social media, with many joining the captain in the cockpit for a photo opportunity and groups gathering for pictures in the cabin.
Rower Helen Glover tweeted: “Team GB just stood up before the flight left and belted out “God save the Queen” as it played over the tannoy”.
They won gold medals across more sports than any other nation – 15 – and improved on their medal haul for the fifth consecutive Olympics.
Dina Asher-Smith, part of the women’s 4x100m relay bronze medal-winning quartet, tweeted: “Feels #greattobeBAck. Thank you very much for the special flight @British_Airways”.
The 20-year-old then said she hopes her achievement can help influence the next generation of runners, much as the London 2012 Games had done for her. The Queen has sent a personal message of congratulations in which she said the collective performance by the British athletes was “outstanding”.
“Four years ago I was a box-carrier at 2012 and I was lucky enough to be track-side on Super Saturday to see Jess (Ennis), Greg (Rutherford) and Mo (Farah) win their golds which inspired me”.
Sir Hugh Robertson, BOA vice-chairman, told BBC Radio 5 Live: “The National Lottery funding is reasonably secure in any event because that relies on people buying their lottery tickets week in, week out and incidentally, if you haven’t done so please do so because this supports our Olympic athletes. It’s so tricky”, she said.
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“It has nearly felt like it has been a tough year for the country, a lot has happened politically in the nation in the last few months”, Grainger said.
