UK Sport has announced their medal ambitions for the Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver three weeks before the competition starts.
Officials have invested £6.5 million of National Lottery and Exchequer funds across seven sports and want a return of three medals from the athletes.
If this achievement is reached it will be the best return for a British team since 1936 when the games were held in Garmisch-Partenkirchen.
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The biggest single investment was for £2.1 million which went towards the bob skeleton. Shelly Rudman´s silver was the only medal collected at the last games and she is tipped to win gold this time around.
The remaining sports received, £1.1 million for curling, £964,000 to short-track speed skating, £496,000 for bobsleighing £496,000 for figure skating , £372,000for skiing and £248,000 towards snowboarding.
John Steele, UK Sport’s Chief Executive, said: “The Games in Vancouver are going to be hugely competitive, and our overall medal target is without doubt challenging. However, the investments made over the past four years put the sports and athletes in an excellent position to deliver.”
Gerry Sutcliffe, Minister for Sport, added: “Our Winter Olympic team will head to Vancouver with high hopes and I am confident that, on the back of investment from the Government and National Lottery, they will be in the best possible shape to succeed when they get to the start line.
“We may not yet have the strength in winter sports that we displayed in Athens and Beijing at the Summer Olympics, but I am confident Vancouver can be an important step forward, delivering Britain’s most successful performance for many decades.”
Erin Healey, Sportsister
The Women´s Sport Magazine
