Indiscriminate use of dietary supplements by elite athletes is unwise due to potential health, contamination and doping issues. However, there is limited availability of information on supplement use amongst athletes. PURPOSE: To determine the extent of dietary supplement usage among elite British athletes. METHODS: Supplement use in 286 Team GB athletes was examined from data collected for the 2004 Athens Olympics as part of the pre Olympic medical check. There was complete data for 216 athletes (130 males, 86 females) from across 16 sports: archery, badminton, canoeing, cycling, diving, equestrian, gymnastics, hockey, modern pentathlon, rowing, sailing, shooting, swimming, triathlon, weightlifting and wrestling. The athletes included in the data set were mean±SD (range): age; 27.4±5.3 (17.3–48.9) years, stature; 178.4±10.0cm (152–206cm), mass; 73.6±12.5kg (45–105kg). RESULTS: Over half the athletes (52.8%) declared taking supplements on their medical preparation forms with supplement use being more common in female (59.3%) than male (48.5%) athletes. Supplement use differed between sports with the highest prevalence (>75% sport's athletes) being declared by modern pentathletes, weightlifters, swimmers cyclists and triathletes. Athletes from three sports (archery, shooting and wrestling) did not declare any dietary supplements on their forms. Thirty two different supplements were declared with the majority of supplement users (75%) taking more than one product. The most common supplement declared by athletes was vitamin C (65% of supplement users), followed by multi vitamins and minerals, iron, protein supplements, vitamin E, Selenium and Zinc. Only 15% of supplement users declared sports drinks as a dietary supplement on their medical preparation forms. CONCLUSION: Dietary supplement use is common amongst elite British athletes with supplement usage patterns varying across gender and sports. The type of supplements chosen demonstrates that athletes may be more motivated by health rather than ergogenic benefits of supplementation. Sports drinks have become such common place in the sporting environment that athletes no longer perceive these as dietary supplements. The use of supplements with antioxidant qualities may have been unusually elevated prior to the Athens 2004 Olympics due to advice that antioxidants may protect athletes competing in hot and/or polluted urban environments. Athletes should seek guidance from a qualified sports nutritionist before taking supplements.