Record number of WA swimmers make Olympic swim team

7/4/04
A record number of Western Australian swimmers have qualified for selection in the 2004 Athens Olympic swim team, Sport and Recreation Minister Bob Kucera announced today.
Mr Kucera, who congratulated the swimmers and their coaches at Challenge Stadium today, said eight WA swimmers had been successful in qualifying, double the previous WA record of four in 1964 and 2000.
"Furthermore, of the eight swimmers to make the team, seven have been trained at the Western Australian Institute of Sport," he said.
"In 2000, two of the four WA athletes on the team were based at the national sporting institute, making this year's result even more remarkable.
"This fantastic achievement is testament to WA's expertise in sports training and coaching."
Mr Kucera said four WA swimmers had also been nominated for the Paralympic team, based on their performance at the Olympic Swimming Trials in Sydney last week.
"It is expected that the Australian Paralympic Committee will ratify those four as part of the Paralympic team in the near future," he said.
"On behalf of the Western Australian Government, I congratulate all our athletes and their support staff for an outstanding effort and wish them well in their final preparations for Athens.
"The Gallop Government is proud to support WAIS and WA Swimming in what has proven to be a successful partnership."
Minister's office: 9213 7000