Former rowing superstar and Australian team chef de mission Nick Green says the “one year to go” milestone for the 2012 Olympic Games is extremely significant for the athletes.
The Australian team for the London Games is expected to number about 430.
And the countdown is on in earnest ahead of the opening ceremony on July 27, 2012, with a major team fundraiser taking place in Sydney on Wednesday night.
“The athletes are starting to fine-tune their position on the world’s calendar in terms of their performance and their preparations needed in the next 12 months,” said Green, who won Olympic gold medals in 1992 and 1996 as part of the Oarsome Foursome.
“We have a clear indication of how the team is performing.
“I’m very confident that things are in place for a successful Games – we have the right financial support, we have the right coaches, we have the right knowledge and we are now putting that information into play and allowing the athletes to prepare appropriately.”
Australia remains focused on reclaiming a top-five berth on the medals table, having dropped to sixth on the overall standings in Beijing, as Britain improved to fourth.
“World sport superpowers China, USA and Russia are destined to take the top three places, leaving us locked in a battle with Great Britain, Germany, France and Japan for fourth and fifth,” Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) president John Coates said.
Britain will enjoy the benefits of massive crowd support as the host nation in 2012, while the national lottery scheme has given them a major funding boost.
The AOC has budgeted for $15.3 million to prepare the team and $15.1 million to send it to the 2012 Games.
The overall sponsorship target is $39 million.
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