Sweetenham Says Tougher Approach is the Norm

LONDON, December 27. APPEARING on the Today Program, Bill Sweetenham suggested that Great Britain's coaches need to be more demanding in the training of athletes for the big stage. The National Performance Director, from Australia, has long adhered to a tough approach, something he feels is missing in British sports. He's already defended himself against bullying tactics by a group of swimmers not thrilled with his approach.

"I don't think the world would find my methods hard, they would find them quite acceptable," Sweetenham told the Today Program. "Places like America, which are very competitive and very hard, they would find anything that I've done here to be just run of the mill and normal stuff. I think it's a realistic approach when you consider what's going to be expected of the athlete in the final area of competition which is the Olympics."

As National Performance Director, Sweetenham has overseen a significant surge by Great Britain, which had fallen hard on the international scene before Sweetenham's arrival. When the 2007 World Champs are held in Melbourne, among the British contenders for medals will be David Davies (distance free), Caitlin McClatchey (middle-distance free) and Kirsty Balfour (200 breaststroke).

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