Rio 2016 Olympics: Team GB targeting over 47 medals with 100 days to go

British Olympic Association hopeful of greatest ever medal haul on foreign soil

The Olympic rings in Rio (Getty)

The British Olympic Association is confident that the "most talented" team it has taken to an away Games can create history at the Rio Olympics.

BOA officials expect to send a team of just over 350 to Rio and are targeting a medal haul in excess of the 47 won in Beijing, which is currently the highest number won at an away Games.

The build up to the Games, 100 days away on Wednesday, may have been overshadowed by concerns over doping, the Zika virus and security, but the BOA is satisfied with Team GB's preparations and is focused on delivering medal success.

It would be a huge ask for the British team to match the 65 medals won as host nation at the London 2012 Games but BOA chief executive Bill Sweeney welcomes the high expectations London created.

"London set the bar so high in terms of medals legacy but it's been a good thing - the impact it had on the nation and the sports," said Sweeney, who revealed that the BOA had invested double the amount spent on preparations for Beijing.

"There is a possibility for us to exceed the 47 medals overall in Beijing. It is a target for us."

(L - R) Joe Joyce, Kate Richardson Walsh BOA CEO Bill Sweeney, James Rodwell, Team GB Chef de Mission Mark England, Beth Tweddle and Anthony Joshua pose for a photo to celebrate one year to go until the Rio 2016 Olympic Games (Getty)

BOA chef de mission Mark England said: "It's not only a big team but I'm confident it is the most talented team we've taken away to a Games."

Whether the British athletics team will face Russian counterparts in Rio remains to be seen with the International Association of Athletics Federations' Council meeting in Vienna on June 17 set to decide whether Russian athletes can compete.

Russia was suspended by the IAAF in November after being accused of state sponsored doping in a report commissioned by the World Anti-Doping Agency.

"There is no higher profile topic than drugs going into the Games," said Sweeney. "But we honestly don't know if it (the IAAF decision) will go one way or the other.

"It would be bad for the Games not to have a level playing field but on the other hand you don't want to see a nation's athletes banned."

The BOA has appointed a head of security to co-ordinate security for British athletes in Rio.

"The safety of our athletes is our number one priority and we will work closely with the Foreign Office," said England. "The assessment on threat and risk will dictate how many people go."

While security is of paramount importance, there is also a strong focus on giving British athletes a potential edge on rivals with the preparation facilities that are in place.

The Team GB pre-Games training camp in Belo Horizonte will enable track and field and swimming athletes to train together at the same base and the British School Performance Centre, situated close to the Olympic Park and the Athletes' Village, will provide a training base in Rio at Games time.

Olympic sport venues are spread across four zones - Barra, Deodoro, Maracana and Copacabana - with travel between the zones likely to be challenging.

To cut out the hassle of daily travel for British athletes competing in the likes of sailing and rowing - which will be staged within the Copacabana zone - the BOA is providing satellite accommodation and training at the Flamengo Club on the edge of Lagoa Lake during competition with the athletes returning to the Athletes' Village when not competing.