The programme, being run in partnership with Fédération de Natation du Québec (FNQ), will have no club affiliation and is open to any qualified swimmer and will include access to integrated support team services.

Tom Rushton, previously an assistant at the Montreal High Performance Centre, will serve as head coach of the programme.

Swimming Canada has claimed the programme is an interim step that will allow Canada to rebuild its training in Montreal while still allowing high-level athletes to continue to have access to funding and pool time.

Athletes will include the likes of Olympians Audrey Lacroix and Victoria Poon.

"FNQ is very happy to work with Swimming Canada to implement this Intensive Training Programme in Montreal," said FNQ chief executive, Bernard Charron.

"The coach of this programme will also act as a provincial junior coach.

"This will be another important resource as we work with Swimming Canada to integrate our efforts to develop Quebec athletes."

The move follows an announcement in October last year that the previous Montreal centre's structure would be reviewed, and funding suspended as of March 31 this year.

The review included consultation with key Swimming Canada staff, athletes and coaches, and partners such as Own the Podium, FNQ and the Institut national du Sport (INS) du Québec.

Audrey Lacroix is one of the athletes likely to be part of the Intensive Training Programme in Montreal ©Getty Images



Following the review, the National Swim Centre in Calgary will also have its funding suspended on March 31 while High Performance Centres in Saanich, Vancouver and Toronto continue to receive investment.

"This Intensive Training Programme creates an opportunity to have a high-performance training environment for eligible athletes in and around Montreal," said John Atkinson, appointed Swimming Canada's director of high performance in January after resigning from his role as Britain's national performance director for disability swimming.

"Montreal and the province of Quebec should be a strong centre of development for Canadian swimmers.

"We are committed to implementing a strategy that puts the province on the podium, and this smaller-scale solution is the first step in the interim."

Swimming Canada says the driving force behind all decisions was the desire to create the environment in Quebec that has the best opportunity to produce medal performance results for Canada at the Olympic Games.

At London 2012, Canada won three swimming medals, including bronze for Brent Hayden in the men's 100 metre freestyle, silver for Ryan Cochrane in the men's 1,500m freestyle and a 10 kilometres open water bronze for Richard Weinberger.

Swimming Canada claimed it will also be investigating the possible integration of the Paralympic programme into this strategy to best support Para-athletes, including the feasibility of a Paralympic Swimming Centre.

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]


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