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Australian swimming officials have extended an olive branch to the Malaysian swim team over concerns they could be deprived of using Kuala Lumpur’s top aquatic centre in the lead-up to the Olympics.
Australia’s world-beating swimmers booked the main aquatic centre in the Malaysian capital as their pre-Olympic training venue in 2006.
But reports in Malaysia today suggest local officials are now worried their own swimmers would not be able to use the facility in their preparations for Beijing.
According to reports in Malaysia’s New Straits Times, Head of Malaysia’s National Sports Council Zolkples Embong plans to write to Australian officials asking for his swimmers to be allowed to share the facility with the Australians.
Head coach Alan Thompson today played down the concerns and said Australia would do what it could to ensure the Malaysian preparations were not affected.
“Certainly we’d be very happy to talk to them and see what we could do,” Thompson said.
“But the reality is we’ve booked (the facility) from 7am to 9am and 4pm till 6pm, two hours in the morning and afternoon.”
Embong has reportedly directed his staff to email Thompson to try and “seek permission for our swimmers to train with them, maybe occupy two or three lanes” alongside the likes of Grant Hackett, Libby Trickett, Leisel Jones and Eamon Sullivan.
Thompson stopped short of promising shared training but was sure the situation could be resolved.
“I don’t think it will come to that point but I think we have to talk about it first,” Thompson said.
“The main reason we booked this place is so we could allow our athletes to have plenty of room in our preparations… but something will be able to be worked out.
“We believe in the Olympic Games and the Olympic spirit and we certainly wouldn’t want to see any of Malaysia’s Olympians disadvantaged at all.”
Thompson said Australian swimming had a very good relationship with Malaysia and had used the National Sports Complex several times in recent years.
His team is booked to use the facility from July 26 to August 3 before heading to Beijing.