Coe's says 'extraordinary weekend' could be golden for Brit athletes

British competitors are favourites to win as many as eight golds in rowing, cycling, sailing and athletics.

But Lord Coe, double Olympic champion and London 2012 chairman, insisted it does not really matter where Britain finishes in the overall medal table just so long as there are 'big British moments' to remember.

Fool's Coe? Lord Coe thinks Britain could win as many as eight gold medals this weekend

Coe said: 'People are looking forward to an extraordinary sporting weekend but I don't think they are thinking that this is a make or break.

'What is important are big British moments. I don't think people really sit there wondering where we finished on the medals table. What they remember is Kelly Holmes, Steve Redgrave, Matt Pinsent, Chris Hoy or Nicole Cooke.

'People are excited about it already and they know that they we have a very good start. We had a gold and a silver in the pool. We are going back a long way when you remember a day like that in the pool and a gold medal in road cycling.

'People at home know that we are witnessing a step change and I hope it continues right the way through.'

Out of the shadows: Coe knows what it takes to win Olympic gold - winning two - including the 1500m in 1984. Fellow Brit Steve Cram (left) takes silver.

In terms of athletics, Coe insists that expectations should be set at a very low level with success measured by the numbers making finals rather than winning medals.

He added: 'I'm not going to minimise the importance of our track and field count. We got out of jail in Athens in track and field because of one moment that was more luck than judgement, and one huge moment with Kelly Holmes that I had thought could happen.

'Take the 4x100m relay and Kelly Holmes out of the mix and it wasn't a great track and field championships. We hardly got a single male individual through to a final in Athens.

'I don't think we are going to get a great medal haul here.'

Coe picked out potential track and field medallists as Paula Radcliffe in the marathon, triple jumper Phillips Idowu, heptathlete Kelly Sotherton with Andy Baddeley as an outside shot in the 1500m.

In relation to the London 2012 Games, Coe and his fellow organisers are facing calls to cut the length of the opening ceremony after athletes at the Beijing event last week spent up to six hours on their feet.

Coe acknowledged the concerns but said the ceremony remained a key part of the Olympic experience for many athletes.

He said: 'I never went to an opening ceremony when I was running - I was confronted with seven races in nine days and thought that standing around for six or seven hours and being bussed halfway around the city was not something conducive with the previous 10 years' preparation.

'We will look at it for London and I will do what I can to make sure that the opening ceremony reflects an athletes' parade with the most benign circumstances for them.'