SYDNEY, Oct 16, 2006 (AFP) - One of the world’s most technologically advanced pools was officially opened Monday at Australia’s renowned Sports Institute, in a bid to strengthen the country’s chances at the 2008 Olympics.
Australian Sports Minister Senator Rod Kemp opened the 17-million-dollar (12.75 million US) AIS Recovery and Swimming Centre in the capital Canberra.
Kemp says the centre is the centrepiece of the Australian government’s 74-million-dollar commitment to the redevelopment of the AIS campus and a key to ensuring the future success of Australian swimming.
The centre features a 10-lane, 50-metre pool with in-built performance analysis and monitoring systems for the training, testing and development of Australia’s elite swimmers and teams, he said in a statement.
Kemp said it was important for the institute to stay at the cutting edge of sports science and technological innovation so that Australia can remain internationally competitive and maximise team performance.
``Finding split-second improvements in the performance of Australian swimmers using state-of-the-art performance analysis and biomechanical systems in training can mean the difference between placing in a final and winning a medal in Olympic competition,’’ he said.
The centre is expected to become the national training base for the Australian swim team.
Analysis and monitoring systems packed into the pool walls and blocks, touch pads, magnetic timing gates and 24 fixed cameras will allow coaches and sports scientists to analyse all aspects of the AIS swimmer’s performance in training.
The centre will also feature state-of-the art hydrotherapy and recovery facilities – three spa baths, a plunge pool, a cold water walk-through and a river for active recovery and stretching.
Australia, which will host the world swimming championships in Melbourne next March, finished second on the medals table with 15 medals, seven of them gold, behind the United States (28) at the 2004 Athens Olympics.
kk, what makes aussis so dominant in swimming, and so, blaza, in athletics?
Eveyone lives by the sea and there are a lot of swimming pools vs tracks.
Swimming success in Australia appears to be deeply-rooted in the culture of beach living and survival.
Because Aussies live mostly on the coast or by a river for relief from the heat/drought, surviving in the water has become a learned skill and a day to day necessity.
Hence learn-to-swim schools proliferate and can be highly profitable business ventures.
Therefore Australia has a huge network of fulltime or parttime professional swim coaches. Most never work with elite competitors.
But the swim schools all have their own training squads and from these come the elite competitors. The participation base in Australia is huge as a matter of lifestyle necessity.
And the success at the peak of the performance pyramid ensures a steady turnover of role models to Inspire youngsters who Desire to fill their flippers 
It’s something like that anyway.
kk,
Having had my son in a swim school for the last 6 months or so I see all that is lacking in Athletics here, a steady progression from one level to the next in the same centre, a perfect feeder system for the higher level coaches, Technically educated coaches at the youngest levels. Oh yes and and the coaches can make a living from it.
Regards
Andrew J
People seem to think athletics is a non event.
I have coached athletes and when it has come the round to talking money and the number of training sessions.
I have been told they are only training 2 times a week, and I’m not paying anymore than $10 a month.
While there other child is swimming 9 times a week and paying $100 a month for swimming (that child is actually younger)
Swimming is a necessity, literally a matter of life or death. Athletics is not important on that level, hence swim schools can charge whatever the market will bear.
True KK,thats the very reason my son is there.
As a parent what you want to see from any sport is a relatively clear career path if they should choose to pursue it, its also motivating for the child if they can see the next level training at the same venue. For Athletics there is at least some structure at little A’s level but then what happens. Join the senior version and hope they have a good coach or just try to find a good coach who has the time. I’m not complaining, Athletics here is what we have all made it, we just need to fix it.
Running is only important for survival if a cheetah is chasing you.
If you think athletics is small potatoes, take a look at Olympic weight lifting or even rowing, which is probably Canada’s most successful summer games sport.
TNT
Irelands surrounded by water … funny we don’t dominate any swimming events!!