Since judo player Yael Arad won Israel's first ever Olympic medal at Barcelona in 1992 - a silver -  the country's delegation has always managed to return from the Games with at least one medal, but never with more than two.

Now, Tzvi Varshaviak, the chairman of the Olympic Committee of Israel (OCI), wants that record to be improved at London.

He said: "It is about time we win more than two medals.

"We believe that this is within our capabilities."

Israel has won a total of seven medals, only one of which was gold.

The best performance was at Athens in 2004 when they won a gold and bronze medal in windsurfing and judo respectively.

At Beijing last year their only medal was won by Shahar Zubari, who claimed a bronze in the windsurfing.

Overall Varshaviak was critical of Israel's team of 43, the largest delegation they had sent to the Games since making their debut at Helsinki in 1952, and they failed to fulfill expectations.

He said: "We were disappointed."

In December the Israeli Government were warned that by Efraim Zinger, the general secretary of the OCI, that they needed to provide more financial support if the team was to be successful in London.