DIF, the Danish Olympic Committee, has published their medal targets (link in Danish) for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. The committee has set their goal at ten medals, which represents a two medal increase from 2012. They have also specifically named the sports in which they expect to win medals, a list that includes swimming.
Danish swimmers, despite a lot of success at interim international competition, did not win any medals in London. In 2008 they won just one medal, a bronze by Lotte Friis. The Danish men have not won a medal at the Olympics since Benny Nielsen touched second at the 1988 Seoul Games behind Michael Gross in the 200 Butterfly.
The Danish team managed four medals at the 2015 World Aquatics Championship in Kazan. The Danish Olympic Committee used results from the 2013 (also four medals) and 2015 World Championships to make their projection. However, it’s worth noting that at the 2011 World Championships the Danes collected two gold medals.
The high watermark for Danish Olympic performance remains the postwar 1948 London Games, where Denmark collected 20 total medals. If Denmark were able to claim ten medals this coming summer, it would represent the biggest total since then.
nothing like putting undue pressure on your swimmers