Australia's sports minister has thrown down the gauntlet to Britain over where the two countries will finish in the Beijing Olympics medal table.

Kate Ellis has challenged her British counterpart Gerry Sutcliffe to a bet over which country wins most medals.

Australia finished fourth in the table in Athens and Britain back in 10th, but UK Sport are predicting Britain will do better in Beijing and Sutcliffe wants the nation to come back with 41 medals.

Ellis said: "I am meeting with the British sports minister actually and I might be prepared to put a wager on with him.

"But all I can say is I hope their athletes can handle pressure because their Government is putting it on their shoulders in pretty heavy loads at the moment - I hope they don't crack under it."

Sutcliffe's Cabinet boss, culture, media and sport secretary Andy Burnham, had said countries such as Australia now feared Britain after all the extra cash that has been pumped in aimed at London 2012.

But Ellis said: "The English to this point haven't really been up there with us but we know that they have been putting in a huge effort ahead of London and we know that there are enormous emerging challenges for the Australian team."