Olympics prospects given boost as swimming scheme expands

Seven to 10-year-old swimmers will be trained under the council's Swim Training Scheme at the Shirecliffe pool for its Junior Olympic 3 training programme.

About 20 youngsters are now using the pool three times a week following their selection for the squad after showing promise at competitions across Sheffield.

The squad is the first in five levels in the training scheme which develops swimmers from beginners understanding the competition format, to elite athletes in the City of Sheffield Swim Squad training for the Olympics.

The Concord sessions allow the council to expand the current scheme and will run alongside existing schemes at Ponds Forge International Sports Centre.

Russ Barber, Sheffield City Council head coach, said: "We are expanding our Junior Olympic programme to provide further opportunities for young people to remain active, improve their swimming and reach their full sporting potential.

"The new squad at Concord will provide a pathway from learning to swim to competitive swimming in a community environment, before they move on to Ponds Forge if they want to continue up to JO2 level."

Stars to come out of the scheme include Beijing Olympian James Kirton and double Para Olympic gold medallist James Crisp. The World Champion broke the world record for the fastest 400 metres front crawl at last year's Disability Sports Events (DSE) National Short Course Swimming Championships.

Richard Apps, general manager for Concord Sports Centre, which is

operated by Sheffield International Venues, said: "Starting the swimming coaching in Concord Sports Centre's state-of-the-art pool is a way to develop children into competitors without the stadium environment of Ponds Forge, which could seem daunting to a swimmer who has never competed.

"Hosting SCC training shows Concord's continued commitment to encourage young swimmers to reach their potential. Being a SCC training centre will give the children in our local community who sign up to 50,000 swim lessons every year something to aspire to."