A British squad of 53 swimmers, divers, synchronised swimmers and open water athletes is putting the final touches to preparations ahead of next month’s FINA World Championships in Melbourne.
The biggest international event between Olympic Games will see the greatest athletes competing for world honours just over a year away from the Beijing 2008 Games.
It’s one of the biggest squads Britain has ever sent to a World Championships and they will be in action in all but one aquatic discipline, water polo which is currently undergoing massive change in Britain in time for 2012.
A strong swimming squad will be looking to increase the medal tally of three it achieved last time around in Montreal, Canada while a developing diving squad will be out to qualify Britain for the Beijing Olympics and in the hunt for medals.
Alan Bircher (University of Bath) will lead the open water swimming squad and is working to improve on a best-ever seventh place finish while a young synchronised swimming team aims to gain valuable experience ahead of London 2012 by competing on the world stage.
The swimming and open water squads leave for Australia on 22nd February and 1st March for a preparation camp at British Swimming’s Offshore Centre on the Gold Coast while the diving team heads for the Southern Hemisphere and a preparation camp in Perth on 5th March.
Synchronised swimmers arrive in Melbourne fresh from a training camp in Canada on 2nd March.
Any media wishing to arrange interviews with athletes listed below before they leave for Australia should contact Media Manager Dave Richards on 0778 992 6136 or email dave.richards@swimming.org
To see if any athletes are going to the World Championships from your area, please CLICK HERE.
-ENDS-
The 12th FINA World Championships will take place in Melbourne, Australia from 17th March until 1st April 2007.
Synchro takes place from 17th to 24th March
Open Water takes place from 18th to 25th March.
Diving takes place from 19th to 26th March.
Swimming takes place from 25th March to 1st April.
British Swimming is the National Governing Body for Swimming, Diving, Synchronised Swimming, Water Polo and Open Water in Great Britain. It is responsible internationally for the high performance representation of the sport. The members of British Swimming are the three Home Countries national governing bodies of England (Amateur Swimming Association), Scotland (Scottish Amateur Swimming Association) and Wales. (Welsh Amateur Swimming Association) British Swimming seeks to enable its athletes to achieve gold medal success at the Olympics, Paralympics, World Championships and Commonwealth Games.
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