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Paralympics 2012: ParalympicsGB given London medal targets
Britain's Paralympic team have been set a minimum medal target by UK Sport of 103 from at least 12 sports at the London Games.
UK Sport has also confirmed that the aim is to maintain second place in the medal table.
In Beijing four years ago, GB finished with 102 medals , including 42 golds from 11 sports, and were second behind China who won 89 golds.
Tim Hollingsworth British Paralympic Association chief“Winning medals in front of an excited home crowd will give us a great platform to help shift perceptions of Paralympic sport”
The London Games begin on 29 August and will run until 9 September.
Based on data from all 18 funded Paralympic sports (the five-a-side and seven-a-side football teams are financed by the Football Association), a collective performance target range of 95 to 145 medals has been set with 16 of those sports targeting medals.
GB's Paralympic campaign has been backed by more than £49m of funding from UK Sport.
The British Olympic team had been set a minimum target of 48 medals for London 2012, but surpassed that figure, finishing with 65 medals which included 29 golds .
"British Paralympic sport is better-resourced and in a stronger position than ever before," said UK Sport chair Baroness Sue Campbell.
"We are able to confirm that our goal of holding second place in the Paralympic medal table at our home Games remains on track, in line with our intentions set out back in 2006 when extra funding for Olympic and Paralympic sport was secured.
"The fantastic news we received last week from the Prime Minister that funding for elite sport is to be maintained into the Rio cycle is a wonderful endorsement for the achievements of our Olympic and Paralympic athletes to date.
Medal-winning sports for GB in Beijing
- Archery, athletics, boccia, cycling, equestrian, judo, rowing, shooting, swimming, wheelchair basketball, wheelchair tennis
"And it is great to be able to say with confidence, ahead of the Paralympic Games, that the era post-2012 will truly mark a new beginning for Olympic and Paralympic sport in the UK.
"I'd like to wish our Paralympians, their coaches and support staff every success in London and I hope they gain the recognition they deserve for their commitment and dedication to British sport."
British Paralympic Association chief executive Tim Hollingsworth said: "ParalympicsGB is going into these Games better prepared through support from the National Lottery than ever before and we are all ready to give everything to achieve our target of second in the medal table.
"Equally important is the fantastic news that our athletes will be competing in full venues. Winning medals in front of an excited home crowd will give us a great platform to help shift perceptions of Paralympic sport and ensure that our athletes get the recognition they deserve."
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Comment number 232.
Frenchie18th August 2012 - 19:23
2 words to some of the threads on here..... SAD and IGNORANT.... my mum always told me 'if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything'.. go on Youtube or Twitter and troll, you are not fit to comment here...
Link to this (Comment number 232)
Comment number 231.
EnglishJeff18th August 2012 - 16:28
@226. amcomets
Did you know that the para in paralympics means parallel? To run the paralympics with the olmypics I think would be to difficult as there would be an extra 4000 or so people competing and would extend the olympics by another 2 weeks. I think the paralympics is big enough to stand on it's own
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Comment number 230.
ThinkBeforeTyping18th August 2012 - 16:11
@NameNumber6.
'The paralymics are only of interest to those taking part and their families.
Harsh but true.'
But that is not true. They are of less interest to the wider public than the olympics (perhaps this is what you meant?), but interest in them is not restricted to those taking part and their families.
What purpose does it serve to downplay them even more?
Controversy for its own sake?
Link to this (Comment number 230)
Comment number 229.
Chris_Page18th August 2012 - 16:02
Larry-the-lamb (216) - your ignorance reaches Olympic proportions! Our Paralympians achieve more than the Olympians, and on a lot less funding. We're the more viable economic proposition.
Link to this (Comment number 229)
Comment number 228.
Aaron18th August 2012 - 16:02
@Philip.
'Am i clutching at straws to ...take a persons previous competition best and use it to calculate a handicap'
What a bizarre idea! You're actually saying that if someone trains to improve their time by 0.5secs, then that 0.5secs should be taken away from them when they compete?
What on earth then would be the point in training?
Why would athletes even get out of bed?
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Comments 5 of 232