William Hill are betting that the British team will fail to achieve the 41-plus medal haul being predicted by the likes of Italian statistican Luciano Barra and Steve Roush, the United States Olympic Committee's (USOC) head of sport performance.

 

Hills are offering 1/2 that Britain will return with 40 or fewer medals, and go 6/4 that they will manage to get 41 or more.

 

Barra and Roush are predicting that Britain will finish ahead of Australia - who were fourth in the 2004 medals table, and Hills offer 5/4 that Britain will finish fourth this time round.

 

Hills are supported by the predictions of influential American magazine Sports Illustrated who are tipping Britain to win 35 medals, the target set by UK Sport, the Government agency responsible for funding 19 of the 20 sports that Team GB will compete in in Beijing.

 

The figure of 41 was UK Sport's "stretch target" but which Sports Minister Gerry Sutcliffe has said should be met.

 

During a visit to the Team GB training camp in Macau today, he said: ''We are looking forward to meeting the UK Sport target of 41 medals.

 

"That is a serious target.

 

"We want it to be achieved.

 

"If we came well short of that 41-medal haul, we'd be very concerned."

 

Hills spokesman Graham Sharpe is predicting that for the first time more than £25 million will be gambled on these Olympics.

 

He said: "Gambling interest on the Olympics is at an all time high - but it is a bold punter who would gamble big on the Brits bringing home 41 or more medals and finishing fourth in the overall medals table.

 

"In fact, one of the biggest Olympic bets we have taken so far is £3,000 on the British team to end up with fewer than 33 medals in total, at odds of 5/6.

 

"The biggest we have seen so far is £9,000 on China to top the Gold Medal table at 1/2."

 

Among the athletics team members fancied to have a realistic chance of a gold medal, Hills make Philips Idowu 5/4 favourite to win the triple jump, Kelly Sotherton is 5/1 to win the heptathlon, Paula Radcliffe is 6/1 to win the marathon, Christine Ohuruogu 12/1 for the 400 metres, with team-mate Nicola Sanders 25/1.

 

In other sports, Hills make Andy Murray 8/1 to win the Olympic tennis singles gold and teenage diver Tom Daley is 8/1 to win an individual gold, 10/1 to win the synchronised event with his partner Blake Aldridge and 50/1 to complete the double.

 

Meanwhile, Frankie Gavin, Britain's first world amateur boxing champion, is 2/1 to follow it up with an Olympic gold medal.