Cram: Confident

We will win plenty of golds. Team GB will do very well, certainly better than in Athens and Sydney.

Steve Cram
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Former Olympic medallist Steve Cram is confident that Team GB will succeed in Beijing.

Cram, who won the silver in the 1500m at the 1984 Games, feels that although a lot of focus is on the 2012 Olympics in London, everything is in place for the Beijing-bound team to do well.

Cram told Sky Sports News: "We will win plenty of golds.

"Team GB will do very well, certainly better than in Athens and Sydney.

"In fact if we hit the targets set for the team we will have our best Games since about 1920.

"Even though in Beijing we have the time zone, the heat, the humidity and everything else, we have cycling, sailing, rowing and equestrian as our powerhouse Olympic sports."

In athletics, Team GB head to Beijing on the back of winning just four medals last time out - and Cram believes that they can expect a similar haul.

And Cram is looking at Phillips Idowu, Kelly Sotherton and Christine Ohuruogu to fly the flag for Britain.

Confident

"In track and field we won four medals in Athens and that is about what we will do again," he said.

"We haven't got Kelly Holmes this time to win two golds on her own but we do have Phillips Idowu in the triple jump, who is No.1 in the world and unbeaten all season. You have got to go to the Olympic Games feeling confident of winning in that form.

"We have also Kelly Sotherton in the heptathlon while Christine Ohuruogu, the world 400m champion last year, has a great chance of a medal. Plus Christine and Nicola Sanders will help the 4x400m relay team.

"After that there might me one or two surprises - but all in all the team are going to do very, very well."

One person who will not be in the mix for the medals is Dwain Chambers, with the sprinter failing to have his Olympic ban overturned.

Unfair

And Cram admits he is "very happy" that Chambers, who served a two-year ban for failing a drugs test, will not be taking part.

"It is not a personal thing against Dwain, but I have to say there are people busting a gut to get into the Olympic team and have been for a long time," he added.

"But back in April while people were doing that, he was off playing rugby league for Castleford and I'm not sure that sends out the right message.

"I think to come at a late date to try and overturn a rule that he knew was in place and claim it was unfair wasn't fair on everyone else.

"Everybody's focus was on him and at the Olympic trials the athletes in the 100m didn't know if they would be selected or not.

"I thought it was a selfish scenario he built around himself. I understand why he tried to do it, but the rules are there and in sport you learn to stick to the rules. If you break them, you suffer the consequence."