The UK sports minister, Tracey Crouch, is hoping to make it a hat-trick of humiliating victories over her Australian counterpart after laying down the gauntlet in a now traditional medal-table battle between the two nations.
Crouch said she would be very happy to carry on a friendly but keenly fought wager that began in Beijing in 2008 when the Labour sports minister Gerry Sutcliffe made a bet with his Australian counterpart, Kate Ellis, that ended in her having her to wear Team GB colours at the Paralympics that followed.
Australia had previously finished above Britain at their home Games in Sydney and four years later in Athens.
“I am extremely competitive and whatever they bet me I will win,” said Crouch, before a day of meetings with Commonwealth sports ministers. “We are not going to miss our medal target. It’s an ambitious but realistic target and I am incredibly optimistic.”
In September 2012 the Australian sports minister Kate Lundy rowed the Olympic course at Eton Dorney in a bright red Team GB T-shirt and cap after her nation slumped to a disappointing 10th in the medal table.
Team GB recorded their best result for more than a century to finish third with 65 medals. Lundy’s opposite number, Hugh Robertson, had promised to dribble a hockey ball around Australia House on the Strand wearing green and gold if he had lost.
Australia are hoping to bounce back in Rio after a disappointing Games in London that resulted in an inquiry into their performance in the pool, while the funding agency UK Sport has set Britain a target of 48 medals – which would represent their best ever away Games.
Immediately following London, UK Sport said its “aspiration” was to become the first host nation to win more medals at the Olympics that followed but later downgraded that ambition to the best ever away Games.
“Having met the team, spent some time in the holding camp and seen the preparations and having spoken to governing bodies I genuinely think we are really well-prepared and we have a real chance of it being our best ever away Games,” said Crouch.
