ON TRACK FOR 2012
30 Jun 2010 09:00
Earlier this year UK Sport announced the 2010 medal targets for Britain’s summer Olympic and Paralympic sports. This saw up to 98 medals being targeted across the Olympic sports and up to 99 medals being targeted across the Paralympic sports, at a World or European level.
UK Sport sets medal ranges with sports as part of their funding agreement and to benchmark the progress each sport is making on the world stage. Based on reasoned analysis and evidence, they highlight both the best possible outcome at an agreed event for the coming year in terms of athlete performance, and the point below which the sport will judge itself to have under-performed.
The most recent announcement came in March - at the same time as the ‘Mission 2012’ submissions which track the state of play across all areas of the UK high performance system – and it indicated continued positive progression towards London 2012. Fifteen sports were rated as ‘green’ overall (nine Olympic and six Paralympic), and no sports were on ‘red’ on the tracker boards held at UK Sport’s London headquarters. UK Sport’s Mission 2012 system is now over two years old and is starting to make a significant difference in terms of identifying issues and problems faced by sports, and finding solutions to overcome them.
John Steele, UK Sport’s Chief Executive, said: “The targets we have agreed with the sports are challenging but are indicative of the gradual increase in momentum towards London 2012. Over the course of the summer season we will hit the half-way point between Beijing and London – which psychologically starts to sharpen the mind even more. Mission 2012 is generally showing us that the sports are on track in terms of their systems and structures, and the overall picture this paints is encouraging.
“It is essential this continues and indeed further improves if we are to achieve our performance aspirations in 2012. That is where the true value of Mission 2012 comes into its own by continuing to ensure that the sports scrutinise their own operations, raise any issues and work with UK Sport and its partners to overcome potential obstacles.”
A full list of medal targets for each sport can be found on the UK Sport website – www.uksport.gov.uk. The next Mission 2012 submissions will be made public in July, two years before the London 2012 Olympic & Paralympic Games begin.