Russian athletes will battle for medals in 25 of 39 Olympic disciplines in London, sports minister Vitaly Mutko told RIA Novosti on Wednesday.
Mutko vowed to "return the lost positions" of Russian athletes on a global level, but cooled expectations of podium domination at the London Games.
"Competition in the world of sports is growing; all countries are vying for the top positions. Huge world players like China have appeared, Africa is progressing," Mutko said.
"We will fight for medals in 25 forms of sport. ... We'll return the lost positions, huge work is being done."
Mutko said restoring Russia's sporting dominance after the lean 1990s was a tough task.
"We started the regeneration actively in 2006, but to cultivate an Olympic champion you need ten years," Mutko said.
