• London Olympics 2012

Team GB expected to get 48 medals

The Team GB boxing squad are expected to deliver medals at London 2012 © PA Photos

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Team GB have been set a target of at least 48 medals at London 2012, an improvement of one medal on the tally achieved in Beijing four years ago.

UK Sport is hoping to see British team members cement fourth place in the overall medal table, with athletics (between five and eight medals) and cycling (6-10) expected to deliver the best returns.

While 48 medals is the target, anywhere between 40 and 70 medals is a possibility.

"At least 48 medals is a realistic target in at least 12 sports and top four on the medal table," UK Sport chief executive Liz Nicholl said. "We aspire for them to be more than 48 medals in more than 12 sports.

Nicholls added: "This target range, a broad range, is giving us confidence that top four on the medal table is very realistic.

"We won medals in 11 sports in Beijing and we think 20 sports are targeting medals in London, which shows how the sports system has stepped up in the past four years.

"Fourteen sports would be disappointed if they didn't achieve a medal at the Games and we think we can win medals in at least 12 sports, which would be one more than Beijing."

UK Sport has injected £312m, the majority of that National Lottery money, to help Olympic-calibre athletes over the last four years - in a bid to achieve results in the final medal table.

The projection is nevertheless lower than most independent evaluators have predicted, perhaps highlighting the uncertain nature of where the medals may go - or perhaps to avoid raising expectations too high.

Among other disciplines, UK Sport are hoping for six medals in rowing and between three and five in both sailing and boxing.

"UK Sport has done everything to put Team GB on the start line in the best possible condition," sports minister Hugh Robertson said.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.