Canadian Olympic Swimming Champion Baumann Bullish on Brisbane

(ATR) Canadian swimming great Alex Baumann’s affinity for Brisbane dates to the 1982 Commonwealth Games, at which he won two gold medals and lowered his own World Record in the 200-meter individual medley.

At age 18, it was here that the young swimming star also met his future wife, Australian swimmer Tracey Taggart.

Baumann, a double Olympic gold medalist at Los Angeles 1984, currently resides on Australia’s Gold Coast, near Brisbane. In April, he was named the chief executive of Swimming Australia, a promotion from his previous role as chief strategist of high performance.

The Canadian Olympic champion – who pursued graduate studies in Queensland, prior to working at the Queensland Academy of Sport and later as CEO of Queensland Swimming – believes an Olympic Games in Brisbane 2032 could reinvigorate swimming in the region and across Australia.

"I think it would be fantastic – we lived through the preparations for Sydney in 2000," Baumann says. "It really just focuses, not only the sports systems, but also the public and the country and you get excited about it.

"I know it’s not a done deal, but it looks pretty good at this point in time," said the 57-year-old sports leader.

Last week, the IOC Executive Board, based upon a strong recommendation by the IOC Future Host Commission, proposed Brisbane to the upcoming IOC Session as host for the 2032 Games. The IOC members will vote at the 138th Session in Tokyo on July 21.

"From a Swimming Australia perspective, I think it will focus the whole country again and give some initiative and motivation to those swimmers that are coming up," Baumann says, of a Brisbane 2032 Games.

"Hopefully we can leverage some benefits, whether those are commercial or perhaps hosting opportunities prior to the Games where again it lifts that profile for swimming in this country.

"I think we have lost it a little bit compared to the early 2000’s and just prior to 2000, even though we have some good talent in the pool," he says.

At Rio 2016, Australia swam to 10 medals, including three gold, well off the mark of its swimming rival, the United States, which claimed 33 medals, including 16 gold. At Sydney 2000, Australian swimmers enjoyed the home pool advantage, winning 18 medals, including five gold.

Australian swimmers are seeking qualification for Tokyo this week at the Australian Swimming Trials in Adelaide. Kaylee McKeown, 19, clocked a new World Record of 57.45 in the women’s 100-meter backstroke on Sunday night.

Baumann is optimistic, albeit realistic, about the team’s expectations next month in Japan.

"Right now, the U.S. is too strong – we are the number two ranked nation in the world," says the Swimming Australia executive. "We have a lot of talent here, but obviously we don’t have the numbers compared to some countries around the world, like the U.S.

"We have a good mix of veteran swimmers and some good up-and-coming swimmers as well. I’ve always believed that you have to have that upwards pressure pushing your veteran swimmers. That’s happening in many events, but not all.

"I think, first and foremost, we need to have high quality coaches and we’re working on that, but we can always do better – we hope to do well in Tokyo."

In terms of Brisbane, the IOC designated the city as the preferred candidate to host the 2032 Games under a new method of selecting Olympic host cities. Cities interested in hosting the Games now engage in an extended series of consultations with a permanent commission that recommends a single candidate for final consideration.

Should the IOC approve Brisbane in July, it would become the third Summer Games hosted by Australia, following Melbourne 1956 and Sydney 2000.

Written and reported by Brian Pinelli

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