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Australia’s Olympic team chiefs have hailed the return to swimming of Ian Thorpe and his drive to qualify for Olympic selection.
Thorpe recently announced he was returning to competition with the view to making the 2012 London team.
He won eight Olympic medals, including five gold, across the Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004 Games.
Thorpe’s decision was sandwiched between announcements of a similar nature from Libby Trickett and Michael Klim, another member of the 4x100m freestyle relay gold medal winning unit.
The Australian Olympic Committee held their first 2012 team management meeting on Saturday in Sydney, with Thorpe’s potential return embraced by Chef de Mission Nick Green.
One of his deputies, Chris Fydler, Thorpe’s 4x100m freestyle gold medal winning relay team mate at the Sydney Olympics, believes Thorpe would make a strong contribution, in and out of the pool, he made the 2012 team.
“On the medal count he (Thorpe) is arguably our greatest Olympian ever,” Green told reporters on Saturday.
“To have him in the team, you just can’t understand the level of influence that he will have on the younger generation, who will want to try and beat him.
“They will lift their performance. They also want to be in a team with him, same with Klimmy and Trickett.”
With Ashley Callus, the other member of the gold medal-winning freestyle relay competing again after a brief retirement, Fydler is the only member of the 2000 quartet not aiming to swim in London.
Fydler, who retired shortly after the 2000 Olympics, said he never had the itch to return.
“If Ian finds his way back into the Australian team, he will be a great asset, he’s got so much experience,” Fydler told AAP.
“He’s got a great philosophy of sport and I think the younger guys could really benefit from drawing on some of his experience.”
Green said Australia’s preparation for next year’s Olympics were well advanced and he expected London to deliver a superb event.
“It will have very much of a Sydney-esque feel about it, a great sense of community,” Green said.
AOC officials say they will allow team members to engage in social networking activities during the Games.
However, team members will be fully briefed on the risks of using the wildly popular form of communication following the problems experienced last year by triple Olympic swimming gold medallist Stephanie rice and rugby league star Joel Monaghan.
Green said sponsorship-wise, the AOC was in a “very sound position” at this stage of the Olympic cycle, but warned they would be looking for increased investment after London to try to retain their high ranking.
“Australia has led the way in sports science and coaching techniques for many years, it’s not surprising it’s been replicated here and post-London and into future games without doubt there has to be further investment,” Green said.