大象传媒

I think we should do a fingernail audit on the senior figures at before and after the Beijing Olympics.

I'd be surprised if Head of Performance, Peter Keen, Director of Elite Sport Liz Nicol and Chief Executive John Steele haven't bitten them down to the quick by 24 August.

For different reasons, we'd better check on the Sports Minister Gerry Sutcliffe's too.

It dawned on me listening to the media conference as just how much is riding on hitting the Beijing minimum of 35 of any colour.

Elite sport in Britain is on an upward curve, and pushing it along is cash. Lots of it.

But in these uncertain economic times, UK Sport is facing the possibility of having to plan for less of it.

The is likely to be downgraded pretty quickly if Team GB doesn't come up with the goods in Beijing.

Over the next four years, 拢600m has been pledged to elite sport, but 拢100m of that has to be raised independently by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

Amount so far in the kitty? 拢0.00.

Steele is already preparing the ground by saying sport can't be immune from prevailing economic factors and recognising that unpredictable lottery revenues, the strength, (or weakness,) of the pound, and other budgetary pressures could come into play.

Fail to nail 35 medals, and the discussions this Autumn with the individual sports who don't hit their targets won't be pleasant.

Some could be cut from the programme altogether to feed the ones with the best chance of success in 2012, because UK Sport's top executives are smart enough to realise their 拢600m will be pecked away at too, and they'll have to prioritise investment.

Literally a case of the survival of the fittest.

Get it right in Beijing, romp back with 40 plus medals and potentially the biggest haul for 100 years, and it's the chaps in the DCMS offices in Cockspur Street who'll be sweating behind the victory smiles, and reaching for the Rennies: because they'll have no choice but to find the 拢100m pounds they've pledged to help team GB stretch towards that aspirational target of fourth place in London, and as we all know,