irenetan

SINGAPORE : The swimming events at next year's Beijing Olympics are set to create a big splash.

And the US swim team says it is ready for the tough competition from the Chinese and other teams, including Australia.

Its head coach, Mark Schubert, is in Singapore with a young team to prepare them for the Bangkok University Games, otherwise known as Universiade Bangkok 2007.

The US swimmers have been in Singapore since Monday and will be here for a week training at the Singapore Island Country Club.

The Americans are pleased with Singapore's hospitality. Even their US Ambassador joined in a ceremony to welcome the contingent.

According to coach Mark Schubert, about 20 percent of the Bangkok Games squad will be selected for the Olympic team.

He says the Americans will be using Singapore as a training base, a week prior to the Beijing Olympics, given the similar time zone.

The 58-year-old coach, who has led his team at eight Olympic Games, expects some surprises from the Chinese swimmers.

Schubert said: "Our swimming team right now is probably as good as it has ever been, not only in quality and depth. So we will be ready for challenges that we get from China, challenges that we get from Australia and many other countries."

Singapore too will benefit from the visitors - local athletes will be invited to attend their training on Saturday.

Wayde Clews, Chief of High Performance Group at the Singapore Sports Council, said: "You look at the USA swimming team, the best swimming team in the world. At this moment in time Singapore has the best swimming team in Asia, and we are now starting to be successful at the Asian level, and even making an impact at the World level with Tao Li making the finals at the recent world championships. So from a strategic perspective they are the sorts of programmes that we want to work with."

Coaches and support staff from the visiting team will also exchange expertise with their local counterparts.

This is all part of the Singapore Sports Council's High Performance Training Hub scheme which was started in 2005.

With more such tie-ups, SSC will be giving the scheme a permanent home at the new Sports Hub.

Oon Jin Teik, CEO of Singapore Sports Council, said: "I think what we have here is a ramp-up strategy towards our Sports Institute, eventually where the Sports Hub will be, so I think it is very important for us. This is one team, but we have plans to get a lot more teams."

More visitors, including the Canadian track team, are expected to be in Singapore over the next few months. - CNA/de