UK Sport have set the medal targets as part of their preperation for London 2012

Great Britain have been set a target of at least 10 medals at this summer's European Athletics Championships by the national funding body.

UK Sport wants between 10-15 medals from the event in Barcelona in July as part of the build-up to the London Olympics in 2012.

Britain's swimmers are expected to win 35 medals at October's Commonwealth Games. In 2006 they claimed 38.

In total, Olympic sports have been set a minimum target of 67 medals in 2010.

UK Sport has also set the standard for Paralympic sports, targeting 99 medals this year.

"The targets we have agreed with the sports are challenging but are indicative of the gradual increase in momentum towards London 2012," said UK Sport chief executive John Steele.

"If these targets are achieved they will signify a stepping up in performances and further progression towards achieving our overall aspirations in 2012.

606: DEBATE Discuss Britain's medal chances here

"Over the course of the summer season we will hit the half-way point between Beijing and London - which psychologically starts to sharpen the mind even more."

The targets are a continuing effort to make sure that Team GB's standards are up to scratch for London 2012.

They are also crucial to British competitors, as they determine the funding amount that sports receive.

UK Sport's 'Mission 2012', the programme that runs alongside the medal targets to monitor funding, coaching, administration and training facilities, uses a traffic light system to monitor which sports are areas of concern.

Currently, no sports are diagnosed 'red', although Team GB's disappointing haul of only one medal in Vancouver's Winter Olympics, despite the target for the team of three, has raised concerns.

UK Sport's target for the British team is to finish fourth place in London 2012, replicating their performance at the Beijing Games in 2008.

Britain's track-and-field athletes fell one short of their five-medal target in Beijing, with UK Athletics performance director Dave Collins standing down soon after the event to be replaced by Charles van Commenee.

At the last European Championships, held in Gothenburg in 2006, Britain's athletes won 11 medals, while at last year's World Championships in Berlin, they won six.

Britain's swimmers were set a target of three medals at the 2008 Olympics but they ended up third in the event table with six.

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