Courtesy: Swimming Australia
The Australian Dolphins will travel to regional Victoria in December to finalize their preparations ahead of the World Short Course Championships.
The 36-strong Dolphins squad will be based in Bendigo for the team’s staging camp from December 6-10, prior to travelling to Melbourne for the 16th FINA World Swimming Championships (25m) from December 13-18.
The Dolphins will train out of the Gurri Wanyarra Wellbeing Centre, with a program of community engagement activities, including open training sessions, planned for the team’s stay in Bendigo.
Swimming Australia High Performance Director, Tamara Sheppard, welcomed the opportunity to engage with the broader swimming community in Victoria.
“The opportunity to represent your country on home soil is rare in swimming and we wanted to ensure we took the chance to involve our passionate swimming family in regional Victoria as part of this experience,” Sheppard said.
“It’s a quality facility in Bendigo and I’m sure we will be warmly embraced so I know our athletes will appreciate the ability to finalise their preparations in such an environment.”
“We appreciate the support of the City of Greater Bendigo in making this camp possible and look forward to engaging with the broader community in December.”
The camp will be extra special for Dolphins Athlete Leader Jenna Strauch, as it will double as an opportunity to return home for the World Championship and Commonwealth Games Silver medallist.
“Growing up I idolised the Dolphins and I know how much it will mean to the kids in Bendigo to see us around town and have the opportunity to watch us train in their pool,” Strauch said.
“It’s fantastic to take this camp out to the regions and ensure we maximise the platform provided by a World Championships in our own backyard to inspire as many of the next generation as we can.”
The camp will be delivered with support from the Victorian Government and the City of Greater Bendigo.
Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events Steve Dimopoulos said:
“The Andrews Government has ensured Bendigo’s top-class facilities will host the Australian Dolphins – giving young swimmers a chance to see their idols in the pool, and attracting visitors into town. That’s a win for locals and gold for local businesses”.
City of Greater Bendigo Mayor Cr Andrea Metcalf said the Dolphins will be warmly welcomed.
“We are delighted the Australian Dolphins are coming to train at our wonderful Gurri Wanyarra Wellbeing Centre. Our first-class facility is an ideal environment for the national swimmers as they prepare for the World Short Course Championships,” Cr Metcalf said.
“The Dolphins will be warmly welcomed during their stay in December and I encourage the athletes to make the most of their time in Bendigo and explore our beautiful city.”
So random. I didn’t even know Bendigo had a pool. It’s a small country town.
100k is big for us, it has 2 swimming complexes. They have made a habit of unorthodox staging camp choices in the last few years, and I think it really helps. It gets people to explore more, and it gives them more exposure to the people around the country.
I wouldn’t say small country town. It’s considered one of Victoria’s largest regional cities with a population close to, if not slightly over 100,000. Bendigo also hosted the 2004 Youth Commonwealth Games. I have a funny feeling the great Scottish IMer, Hannah Miley competed at these games.
Geez, even country towns have swimming pools.