The country's Sports Minister M S Gill today told the Indian Parliament that the Government will make the investment during the next three years for strengthening the country's infrastructure and hiring foreign coaches to train athletes.

Gill said: "I personally think that we would be able to get two to three medals in boxing in London.

"Also we have good scope in wrestling and other categories too."

India has set a target of 10 medals for 2012.

That would mean winning as many medals in one Games as India would have done in the previous 56 years stretching back to Melbourne in 1956.

India has been competing in the Games since Paris in 1900 when Norman Pritchard, who was of British descent, won silver medals in the 200m and 200m hurdles.

Only four individual competitors have won medals since Pritchard, however, a poor return for a country with a population of 1.1 billion, the second largest in the world after China.

India won three medals in Beijing, including their first-ever individual gold medal thanks to shooter Abhinav Bindra in the 10 metre event.

The other medals were won by wrestler Sushil Kumar and boxer Vijendra Singh.

India had taken more than one medal only once before, at the 1952 Helsinki Games where freestyle wrestler Kashabha Jadhav took bronze alongside the victorious men's hockey team, who have won eight gold medals but failed to qualify for Beijing.