UK Sport, which hands out lottery funding, is targeting 47-79 Olympic medals in Rio.
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UK Sport, the nation’s high performance sports agency, wants the British Olympic team to eclipse the 47 medals achieved at Beijing 2008 – the country’s best-ever medal haul in an overseas Games.
Anything above 65 would surpass the record haul set at London 2012 – 29 golds, 17 silvers and 19 bronzes – and make Britain the first hosts to increase their tally at the next edition of the summer Games.
Paralympics has been ordered to deliver 113-165 medals ideally beating the record 120 won at London 2012.
A gold medal will be worth R500,000 (US$35,000), while silver is rewarded with R250,000 (US$17,500) and bronze R100,000 (US$7,000).
If ever the South African Olympic team needed extra motivation to go for gold at the Rio Games, they received it on Thursday in the shape of a number of financial incentives from Sascoc.
Explaining the reviewed target, Timson added: “Throughout the cycle we have been working with the sports on an individual basis and refining more precise medal targets”.
UK Sport targets cycling for the most medals, at least eight, followed by track and field (seven) and rowing (six).
Deputy Sports Minister Gert Oosthuizen has expressed his pride in the team selected to represent SA at the Olympic Games. So the medal targets released on Thursday could be viewed as something of a backtrack.
The organizing committee did not respond to a request for comment on a report in Estadao newspaper that there had been 40,000 ticket cancellations following a statement by Rio Mayor Eduardo Paes on CNN that local police are doing a “horrible” job in ensuring safety.
Double gold-medallist Mo Farah is said to be in the form of his life and will go again in both the 5,000 and 10,000m he so spectacularly won under the Olympic Stadium in Stratford.
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“We are proud that our partnership with UK Sport continues to develop for the benefit of the nation’s athletes and those who are inspired by Team GB”.
