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Britain’s athletes may not feel the full force of the Government’s planned budget cuts until after the 2012 Olympics, according to experts.

But sportsmen and women have been warned they will increasingly be forced to look to private sponsorship as their funding is cut after the Games.

Community and grassroots sports could fall victim to earlier cuts, reports Reuters, undermining the goal of encouraging millions of Britons to participate in sport on the back of London 2012.

"Because 2012 is not far away, there may be no drastic cuts on elite sports, or the ones that have a chance of success," said Emmanuel Hembert from management consultants ATKearney. "It is after that there is potentially a big drop."

Hembert suggested that the need to attract private funding could put added pressure on athletes’ performances at 2012.

"To attract sponsors you need success and some values that sponsors can relate to," he added.

Britain's Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition Government plans cuts of at least 25 per cent across most departments in a bid to reduce the country’s huge deficit.

It has warned the Olympics will not be exempt and has already imposed cuts of £27m on the £9.3bn Games budget.

Funding for elite sport has been reduced by three per cent but deeper cuts two years before the Games could jeopardise the target of a top-four place in the medals table.

Details of spending cuts will be announced in October, though the Government has already said Sport England and UK Sport will be merged to save money.

Elite athletes will eventually be affected by the cuts and the individuals set to be worst hit will be those that underperform under UK Sport's "no compromise" policy.

Sports such as volleyball and handball, with few medal prospects, have struggled to secure funds for 2012.

Britain's women's indoor volleyball team had to embark on a sponsored bike ride to help raise some of the 250,000 pounds they need.

"Cuts are probably inevitable," coach Audrey Cooper told Reuters. "All we can do is perform on the volleyball court and try and raise some money in a different way and not rely on the money coming from the Government."