UK Sport rank each sport by three categories – green, indicating that progress is going well; amber, showing a sport with challenges being addressed and red, where help is needed.

In total, 10 Paralympic sports are rated green, with eight amber and none red.

Swimming still represents Britain's probable largest number of medals, with 32 athletes rated at podium level and 18 at development level.

Equestrian also came in for particular praise after a superb European Championships, where they surpassed expectations by picking up nine gold and two silver medals, and went from being rated amber to green.

Athletics and cycling are both also rated green and on course to pick up double digit medal hauls next year.

Table tennis and fencing moved up from amber to green in the latest Mission 2012 report, whilst wheelchair tennis went from green to amber.


UK Athletics Paralympic Programme head coach Peter Eriksson was also particularly encouraged by the performance at the IPC World Championships in New Zealand in January, at which 38 medals were picked up by British Paralympians, such as the women's 400-metre T37 gold won by Bethany Woodward (pictured).

He told insideworldparasport that the target for the Paralympic Games was to be in the top eight of the athletics medal table, with his mind set on Rio 2016.

"We set the target to be the top three by 2016 so if you can move up as you go along then we are doing it, but anything above eight is good," Eriksson said.

"That was very good because we had such a young team.

"We didn't expect to do as well as we did and having the medal count we did, for the UK it was a good moment.

"The spectators will be so loud you can never simulate that...the pressure is different."

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