Press Release

Team GB swimmers ready for Beiling arrival

Monday, August 4 2008

Team GB's swimmers will arrive in Beijing tomorrow - the final destination of a journey which for many started years ago when they first dreamt of representing their country at an Olympic Games.

The 37-strong squad flies into the Olympic city from a holding camp in Osaka, Japan where they have spent 10 days acclimatising to life in the Far East where temperatures soar past 35C and humidity drains.

Strong bonds between the group have been formed and it's a unified while relaxed team that will face the world's greatest sporting challenge when the Olympic swimming programme begins on Saturday 9th August.

For the swimmers now begins the process of focusing on their own individual performances, replicating the day of their race and ensuring everything is covered off so they stand on the blocks with the knowledge and confidence of complete preparation, where nothing has been left to chance.

Team Leader Michael Scott has been impressed with what he's seen from the squad during their time in Japan and feels the team is ready for the challenge ahead.

"The holding camp has achieved all of our goals in terms of acclimatising, team building and in providing a professional but relaxed and enjoyable environment," explained Scott. "It's definitely achieved its aims of preparation to perform in Beijing."

"The first thing for the squad now is to adjust to new surroundings in Beijing, the village and the pool while maintaining preparation and focus to achieve what we said from day one - to maximise performance improvements from the trials to the Games.

"The team's goals have always been to move forward in a time perspective from the trials in March to the Games in August and we want to maximise the numbers who achieve this."

Scott feels the camp has placed the squad in an ideal position to reach for these goals and is happy with the sense and feeling within the squad right now.

"They're well prepared and they'll be ready to compete come the first day of the competition," said Scott.

For Britain's Mark Foster, who is attending a fifth Olympics of a lengthy career, the holding camp has been an ideal place to prepare for his 50m Freestyle event.

"Everyone has loved it, it's been a great camp," said Foster. "The facilities have been fantastic and that is vitally important at this stage.

"There's been a very good balance of getting the work done and having free time. People have had the freedom to follow their own programme and it's been relaxed as a result.

"Personally, on my fifth Olympic team, this camp has been special. We've had lots of fun but as a group have remained focus throughout on the next two weeks."