british swimming Annual Report and Accounts 2008 08 World short course 100m backstroke champion, Liam Tancock Cover - Rebecca Adlington won gold in the 800m freestyle at the 9th FINA world swimming championships (25m) backstroke in Manchester 100m BRITISH SWIMMING Report and Accounts 2008 | 03 Chairman’s report Last year, I wrote that British Swimming’s success in 2012 when a generation of young primary focus had been to set in place the swimmers who began their journey under plans that would underpin our drive for Bill’s direction will reach maturity. success in 2012, and this year I can record Michael Scott was appointed National that significant progress has been made in Performance Director to replace Bill creating the structure to achieve this. Sweetenham in September 2007. A former swimmer and coach, he is best known for Bill Sweetenham was appointed National his role as a former Director of the New Performance Director for Swimming in 2001 South Wales and then subsequently, the when British success was at a low ebb. The Australian Institute of Sport. Most recently, Olympic results in Sydney 2000 were the he was Director of the World Swimming poorest since 1936; the team failed to win Championships in Melbourne in 2007. He any medals and our swimmers achieved brings excellent strategic experience to a role only five final positions. Bill’s brief was to that is expected to include the formation transform the performance of British of a network of Intensive Training Centres swimmers and coaches and he set about throughout the home countries after Beijing. Chris Baillieu - Chairman this role with a single-minded passion that He will be joined after Beijing by a new was to become the hallmark of his tenure. head coach and together they will plan the programme and the structure that will Bill made it clear from the outset that the sustain the Olympic campaign and the British programme had to be radically development of swimming well beyond 2012. changed if it was to become competitive, and over the next six years he overhauled Only minor changes were made to Bill training and coaching methods, setting in Sweetenham’s plans for the preparations place a tough work ethic and demanding for Beijing. This meant that a young team professional standards. was sent to December’s European Short Course Championships in Debrecen, Hungary From 2001 to 2006, British swimmers where our success was limited, and in light recorded their best ever results at a World of the close proximity of the European Championships in 2003, a record number of Championships (Eindhoven), the Olympic medals at the European Championships in Trials (Sheffield) and the 9th FINA world 2006, outstanding medal hauls at the 2002 swimming championships (25m) in and 2006 Commonwealth Games where they Manchester which were all held within matched Australia, and achieved a much a four week period in March and early more consistent performance at the top April 2008, only a small team competed of the medal table at European Junior at the Europeans in order to ensure strong Championships. While the results in the performances in the Trials at Sheffield and Olympic Games in Athens did not quite reach the subsequent World Championships. This expectations, the pace of change quickened was the first World Championships to be again when London was awarded the 2012 held in the UK, and a major opportunity Olympic Games in 2005 and the administrative for British swimmers to compete in front burden of supporting an ambitious and of a home crowd. expanding performance programme increased markedly. Bill’s family meanwhile The Olympic Trials demonstrated, with continued to live in Australia, and faced with a series of national and Commonwealth juggling all these very different pressures he records, that despite the changes in requested and the Board agreed to release leadership there was potentially much him from his contract. to look forward to in Beijing later this year. This was confirmed the following I would like to pay tribute to Bill, and to his week in Manchester, and while a full chief coach Ian Turner, who left for a post in reflection on the Short Course World New Zealand. Bill Sweetenham’s legacy will Championships belongs properly in next be built on the changes he introduced and year’s report, the success of both the Ian supported. They laid the foundations for swimmers who won more medals >> BRITISH SWIMMING Report and Accounts 2008 | 04 than any other nation, and the quality of Mike Power has recently stepped down the event presentation which attracted from his role as Chief Operating Officer at more than 40,000 spectators should be the London Organising Committee of the included in order to give a overall picture Olympic Games (LOCOG), a post he held from of the swimmers’ achievements during the beginning of the London bid process, this critical period. and this followed a very distinguished career that culminated in a similar role at Procter Earlier in the year the VISA Paralympic and Gamble. Both his links with LOCOG World Cup and the LEN European Nations and his international business experience Water Polo Championships were held in are very valuable additions to the Board’s Manchester, while the inaugural round of collective knowledge. the FINA World Diving Series took place in Sheffield. All resulted in sound performances During the year, the Chief Executive David by our competitors and the management of Sparkes and Operations Director Ian Mason, all three events, backed by funding from UK ably backed by their staff, have been Sport, was taken to a new level. The selection working closely with UK Sport to ensure that of Charlotte O’Neill who leads the Events their investment in the aquatic disciplines is team to manage the Olympic Aquatics centre well spent against clear budgets established in 2012 is a reflection not just of her ability by our National Performance Directors. The but the quality of the team she leads. Mission 2012 appraisal system which has been introduced in order for UK Sport and I would like to thank John Crowther, the national governing bodies to monitor formerly Chief Executive of the Lawn Tennis their progress towards 2012 is proving a Association for his leadership as Director in useful tool and we continue to enjoy a close establishing the diving event, and Melanie working relationship with UK Sport on all Beck, Chair of the Technical Diving Committee, matters relating to performance, events who was subsequently appointed by FINA to and international representation. direct the series worldwide on their behalf. I would also like to add my congratulations Synchronised Swimming continued to make to Alan Clarkson who received the first progress under the guidance of Biz Price British Swimming Fellowship this year. with the steadily improving duet aiming for Olympic selection. Thanks to support Finally, we had good news on the from Simon Clegg at the British Olympic development of additional 50m pools and Association and the Ministry of Defence, the we can reasonably anticipate that by 2012 programme moved to the Army’s excellent there will be more than 30 50m pools in 50m pool at Aldershot where the English place. This would amount to approximately Institute of Sport is offering full support a 40 per cent increase in pool stock over a to the swimmers. six year period. Further steps were taken to add two new independent members to the Board of British Swimming. Craig Hunter was the Swimming Team Manager at the Commonwealth Games, World Championships and Olympic Games from 2000-2006 and has a wealth of knowledge about the sport at the highest level. Craig is a graduate of UK Sport’s International leadership programme and his work as a professional company secretary brings valuable expertise of commercial governance which is essential to any business growing as rapidly as ours. BRITISH SWIMMING Report and Accounts 2008 | 05 Continuing the style successfully initiated last year, the tables indicate the strategies and targets that are part of British Swimming’s corporate planning document ‘Building on Change’, whilst the narrative provides an update of where the Federation currently stands in terms of achieving those targets. The financial information covers the period from April 1 2007 to March 31 2008. However, so as not to be too retrospective, much of the narrative under the tables is based on information available up to July 31 2008. Event reports offer a flavour of Britain’s successes. Section one Athlete Development - achieving individual potential To ensure everyone can achieve his or her personal goals and to ensure that we achieve gold medal success. VISION The development of swimmers to their full individual potential is an important factor and we will achieve this by ensuring that all swimmers have a quality coaching and training environment at each stage of their development. Swimming will: WINNING atHLETES Ensure there are sufficient coaches at all levels, accessing a comprehensive coach education programme, in line with UKCC standards. 30 coaches on the Select Programmes for all disciplines. Section 1 - athlete development Twenty one coaches are on the Swimming Select programme gaining ‘fast track’ information via seminars and workshops. Other disciplines do not have a select coach programme. British Swimming aims to provide a comprehensive long term coach development (LTCD) structure in line with the UK Coaching Framework. This will include qualifications that meet the new UK Coaching Certificate standards, a quality assured CPD seminar programme, and support for new and up and coming coaches through a coach mentoring programme. British Swimming will work with the Institute of Swimming in England, Swim Wales and Scottish Swimming to provide world class training and support for its coaches.