Warning: Most sports failing to make 2012 grade

Four years and 130 days before the Games open, the honesty of Britain's top performance directors was reflected in a survey that revealed none had met UK Sport's gold standard and fewer than half are meeting expectations.

Shooting was judged so far below standard that a panel of Sir Clive Woodward, the British Olympic Association's director of elite performance; Steve Cram, chairman of the English Institute of Sport; and Rod Carr, who masterminded sailing's triumphs in Sydney and Athens; awarded it a red card.

They concluded there is "a risk to our investment that needs attention", and criticised governance of the discipline.

Boxing, which already has seven qualified for Beijing and may yet have a record-breaking 10, is another given a red card but only because of financial management.

The £5million it has been allocated to spend over three years is reaching areas of need too slowly.

Even athletics and swimming, which have to produce medals in 2012 if Britain is to achieve the goal of fourth place in the medals table, are among 15 regarded as requiring an amber alert as "in need of development". Athletics, the panel said, had an issue with recruiting key staff.

UK Sport see the navel-gazing as vital. They are pleased that not even cycling, sailing and rowing, the most successful of Britain's sports, thought they had yet reached gold standard.

UK Sport spokesman Tim Hollingsworth said: "They were all loathe to consider themselves to be gold because it would smack of complacency. They are their own most severe critics."

Meanwhile, the International Olympic Committee yesterday rejected fears that the pollution in Beijing this summer will endanger athletes' health, but warned it would affect performances in endurance events.

Prof Arne Ljungqvist, chairman of the IOC's medical commission, who will monitor the situation when the Games begin, said: "The risk is more related to the fact that they may not perform at the best level. We may not see much of world records."

P.S. Five-time Olympic gold-medallist Sir Steve Redgrave will run in the London leg of the Beijing Games torch relay on April 6 and will be in esteemed company. Drugs cheat Linford Christie may not be taking part, after only being 'accidentally' invited, but alongside Redgrave will be double-gold-medallist Dame Kelly Holmes, broadcaster Sir Trevor McDonald and, of course, Peter Kenyon — the chief executive of Chelsea FC.

Kenyon's involvement was announced by Olympic sponsor Samsung, who, coincidentally, have an estimated £10m-a-year shirt sponsorship deal with his London club.