Elite Chinese swimmers to train at Thanyapura Sports and Leisure Club

The Thanyapura Sports and Leisure Club (TSLC) has agreed a THB 2 million (US$65,000) deal with China's elite Liaoning Swimming Club which will see Chinese Olympians training in TSLC's Olympic-standard aquatic facilities for the first time under one of the world's best coaches.

The agreemene will see TSLC's Olympic-standard 50 metre swimming pool used as the training ground of the Liaoning Swimming Club for six weeks from 27th January 2013. The swimmers' training stint will be led by acclaimed Stephan Widmer - the trainer behind Australian world champions Susie O'Neill and Samantha Riley, as well as Olympic gold medalists Leisel Jones, Kylie Palmer, Libby Trickett, Melanie Schlanger and Jessicah Schipper, and London silver medalist Christian Sprenger.

Widmer recently left his post as Head Coach of the Queensland State Swimming Centre to spend a year with his family in his native Switzerland. At TSLC he will share his expertise and methods with a team of 23 swimmers and coaches from the Liaoning club at TSLC's world-class campus, with 60 sessions scheduled over the six-week high-performance training camp at Thanyapura.

Among those in his charge at Thanyapura are recent London Olympians Wang Hai-Bing, who just missed out on a bronze medal after the Chinese team placed fourth in the men's 400 metre freestyle relay, Ang Shi-Jia (sixth in the freestyle relay) Lu Xiao-Yu, Lee Xia-Yen and Cheng Fei-Yi, who placed eighth in the 100m backstroke.

The Aquatics Academy is the 'jewel in the crown' of the TSLC megaplex. It includes a 50 metre Olympic-standard outdoor swimming pool with electronic timing system, coaches' observation window and a 600-seater shaded grandstand, plus state-of-the-art ozone filtration system and anti-turbulence lane ropes. There is also an adjacent 25m outdoor swimming pool with its own coaching platform.

Thanyapura President Robert Hauck said he was excited about the deal as it was a milestone on Thanyapura's journey to becoming Asia's favoured training and retreat facility for elite teams from around the world in many sports and disciplines.

Hauck explained "this is a vital part of the (Thanyapura vision becoming reality.

"It was always envisioned that Thanyapura would become a training retreat or even a base for elite sports teams from all over the world.

"The Liaoning team is a powerhouse in China and looks set to become an even more formidable force after teaming up with a legendary coach like Stephan Widmer. So we are delighted to welcome the team here, and can't wait to see them getting down to some hard work in the pool and having some fun times exploring our campus and the rest of Phuket too."

Thanyapura Director of Aquatics Simon Jones described Widmer as "one of the world's best swim coaches" and said he had been an admirer of his methods since Mr Widmer's 1997 stint at the Queensland Academy of Sport in Australia.

"It's very exciting for our Thanyapura-based swimmers and other athletes to see such an elite force in world swimming in their midst.

"This visit will also be important in terms of word of mouth in the international swimming community and I'm confident the Chinese swimmers will only have good things to say about Thanyapura when they are attending the world's top competitions and discussing training methods and facilities."

Vice President and Head Coach of the Training Centre of Sport Aquatics Management, Liaoning District; Coach Yuen Yue added "Thanyapura is an amazing training destination with cutting edge facilities and services to assist us in optimising our training performance. We never thought we would find a full scale world class sporting facility like this on a small island of Phuket, all set in paradise."

Thanyapura Sports and Leisure Club is a unique international leading-edge sports and leisure destination where world class sporting facilities meet the highest level of professional training, an integrated health centre and a world of recreation, including Thanyapura Spa, restaurant, bakery and bar, kids club and retail shops. TSLC is for everyone from the finest professional and amateur athletes to Phuket residents and tourists who are active, want to keep fit, be happy and healthy.

The TSLC megaplex is located on a 23-hectare plot framed by mountains and nature just 15 minutes from Phuket International Airport. It delivers an unrivalled range of academies with competitions, teams and training at all levels and ages, including Football, Aquatics, Tennis, Rugby and Triathlon academies. Thanyapura Integrative Health Centre combines several aspects of medicine, such as physiotherapy, traditional Asian medicine and contemporary treatment technologies. 

For more information, go to www.thanyapura.com

Image: Aquatic facilities at the Thanyapura Sports and Leisure Club.

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