The changes, which see UK Sport and its subsidary EIS working more closely together to offer an end-to-end service, include the creation of a performance solutions team to manage relationships with sports. 

The sports are being encouraged to develop a performance partnership plan whereby the EIS delivers a holistic range of science, medicine, technology and research services designed to increase the probability of success by optimising training programmes, maximising performances in competition and reducing the number of training days lost to injury.

UK Sport's Research and innovation function has also been transferred to the EIS with the aim of improving the alignment and integration of all the technical areas of science, medicine and technological solutions and research.

This coincides with the decision of Scott Drawer, who had led research and innovation at UK Sport since 2000, to leave the organisation to join the Rugby Football Union as athletic performance manager, although UK Sport chief executive Liz Nichol denied the two were linked.

UK Sport has set the target of helping Team GB win more medals at Rio 2016 than they did at London 2012 ©UK Sport

To support the changes there have been a number of new appointments, including former Rugby Football Union senior national fitness coach Calvin Morris as head of speed and power and British Cycling's former head coach Simon Jones as head of endurance sports. 

In addition, a number of special advisors, including in including: fluid dynamics, design engineering, materials engineering, endurance physiology, the neuroscience of learning, skill development and motor control, coaching science and speed and power development, have been appointed to support the performance solutions team. 

"The high performance system that has been built up over the last 10 years to support sports has been successful in helping athletes and coaches to deliver medals however we cannot be complacent and just carry on doing the same things as before if we want to continue to achieve the target for Rio [2016}," said Nigel Walker, the EIS naitonal director.

"We have to look at where we can make changes and how we can do things better and as a result of this process the EIS has changed the way it interfaces with sports to become more of a solutions provider and an organisation that can work with their athletes and coaches to address a wide range of performance issues.

"The development of the partnership performance plan underpins this way of working and ensures that everything we do for a coach or athlete is focused on the goal of helping them to produce medal winning performances.

"The addition of research and innovation to our portfolio and the recruitment of a host of globally-renowned experts to work with us or in an advisory capacity has significantly enhanced our all-round service and ensures that athletes in Great Britain will have access to world-leading expertise and support in sport science, medicine, technology and engineering."

English Institute of Sport national director Nigel Walker is confident that Britain's high performance programme will again prove a success in the build-up to Rio 2016 ©EIS

If Britain do surpass the total of 65 medals, including 29 gold, they won at London 2012, it would make them the first country to deliver more medals at the following Olympic Games than they did at home.

"The past successes of Beijing [2008] and London are no guarantee of success in Rio," said Simon Timson, director of performance at UK Sport.  

"The Americans, Australians and the Chinese have all failed to win more medals post-hosting, with all three suffering around a 10 per cent slump."

But Britain is fortunate that the funding its athletes received in the build-up to London 2012 is being maintained. 

Mission 2016 is invested £355 million ($581 million/€428 million) in 1,300 athletes across 28 of the 30 sports in which medals were won at London 2012.

"By standing firmly by our no compromise approach to investing in the right athletes and sports for the right reasons, developing more transformational relationships with sports, using the best available data and confronting the brutal facts when necessary while capturing and sharing best practice whenever possible, we are well on our way to building a stronger, more sustainable UK high performance system," said Timson.

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