RAISED EMOTIONS FOR SWIMMERS AFTER FLAG PRESENTATION
%20christian%20sprenger,%20lisbeth%20trickett,%20melanie%20schlanger%20and%20their%20coach%20stephan%20widmer%20photo%20magicpbk%20sal%201.jpg "(l-r) christian sprenger, lisbeth trickett, melanie schlanger and their coach stephan widmer photo magicpbk sal 1.jpg")
KUALA LUMPUR, August 2: The Telstra Dolphins Australian Swim Team has wound up preparations for Beijing with an emotional flag presentation ceremony in Kuala Lumpur.The team flies into Beijing on Sunday after an eight day training camp in the Malaysian capital buoyed by the ceremony that witnessed all 43 swimmers presented with an Australian flag.
It was the first time the entire team has participated in such a flag presentation and National Head Coach Alan Thompson, who worked with Senator Bill Heffernan to organise the flags as gifts from the Commonwealth, hopes to make the flag presentation a tradition on senior National swim teams.
The team will now focus on the move from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing and onto the uniform distribution and arrival at the Athletes Village.
Backstroker Ashley Delaney, who will swim both the 100 and 200 metres in his first Games, said
"It is a great tradition to start and most of us don't have an Australian flag in our homes so to have one now and to have received it because we are going to the Olympics is pretty special," Delaney said.
"It means so much more to have an Australian flag presented to us before the Olympics than just about anything someone could give us because it symbolises so much."
Delaney also said the flag would have varying meanings throughout the team and the entire country.
"The flag means different things to different people but to me it means my family, my home and everything I've ever learnt," Delaney
said."It's what we represent when we go away and something I'm very proud of.
"It's the history of the country and everything good about Australia rolled up into one thing."
Thompson said whilst the flag ceremony was both a proud and exciting moment for the team, it was important to now keep emotions balanced.
"As we wind things up here in Kuala Lumpur things are going well and every day gets you a little closer to where you want to be," Thompson said.
"Whilst it's probably an unusual feeling, because people at home would be over excited at this stage, I think these guys are able to take it in their stride.
"They have to plan for each day until the start of competition and I am sure there'll be the normal nerves they have before a competition, but it is important to keep the excitement levels and the emotion on a fairly even keel.
"We've had a couple of little outings here in Kuala Lumpur that the kids have done and we have shown movies and the Spirit of Australian Sport - Swimming documentary that was on the History Channel back home this week.
"All of those sorts of things help to take your mind off things for a while and help the swimmers to relax between training sessions."
Four years ago in Athens several swimmers were overwhelmed by the occasion when they first walked into the competition pool but Thompson believes the group will be able to keep their emotions in check when they get their first look at the futuristic Water Cube pool on Monday."They have seen photos and footage of the pool and the first day will be more about having a look around and an exploration for them," Thompson said.
"One thing I said when I was over their in February when I first saw the pool is that it should be a great comfort level for our swimmers because it is pretty much the same interior design as the Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre and therefore it's going to seem very familiar."
The team, which reports all members fit and healthy, will arrive in Beijing just after 3pm local time on Sunday.