Australian swimmers make a splash with local schools

School pupils from Manchester received some special coaching from Australia’s Olympic swimming team at the Manchester Aquatics Centre last Friday.

The Australian swimming team were in the city ahead of competing in the Fina World Swimming Championships in Rome as part of a deal signed with Manchester City Council, the NWDA and Marketing Manchester, which will see the team train here until 2014 including for the London Olympic Games in 2012.

The team's training session also marked the start of the first official training camps in the UK for London 2012.

The team took time out of their busy training schedules to spend time with a number of school swimming teams: St John's Primary School, Chortlon, St Catherine's Primary School, Didsbury, St Kentigan's Primary School in Fallowfield, Mount Carmel Primary School in Blackley, King David primary and high schools in Crumpsall, Trinity High School in Hulme, Parrs Wood High School in Disbury and Wright Robinson Sports College in Gorton.

The schools were competing in a relay gala and each school was matched with an Australian pro for advice and support.

Councillor Mike Amesbury, Executive Member for Culture and Leisure at Manchester City Council said: "Our main focus for London 2012 is that we can capitalise on the opportunities it presents to get more young people into sport. We have exceptional facilities here in the city such as the Manchester Aquatics Centre, which are not only here to train elite athletes but are available for the whole community to use as well.

"Since we offered free swimming to all under 16s in April, figures show that visits by that age group to swimming pools in the city increased by more than 5,000 in the first two months. That really is quite phenomenal and with such a large focus of our 2012 commitment on local level involvement in sports, Manchester and its people are really set to benefit."

Since free swimming for young people aged 16 and under was introduced in Manchester on 1 April Manchester's swimming pools have seen a massive increase in the numbers using them. The success of the initiative has been illustrated no better by the take up of local youngsters using Withington swimming pool and Broadway swimming pool, where the number of young people swimming has increased by a massive 42 % and 60% respectively (May 08 to May 09).

Free swimming for those aged 16 and under is offered all year round in Manchester's pools, seven days a week. It comes just a year after Manchester City Council made free swimming available for over 60s.

And with free access to swimming and the opportunity to meet elite athletes like Swimming Australia, Manchester could be the home of the next wave of our very own Olympic swimmers.