Bill's not expecting Brits to be big in Japan

Bill Sweetenham faces his toughest test since taking over as British swimming chief when the World Championships start in Japan on Sunday.

But national performance director Sweetenham views the Championships as a stepping stone for the 2004 Olympics.

He was a successful coach in Australia before taking up his post in Britain eight months ago and admits events like the World Championships give him "a huge adrenalin buzz", even if he sees the Athens Games as the real goal. The World Championships take place in Fukuoka and Sweetenham believes the 27-strong British squad have a good mix of youth and experience, but remains tight-lipped about their chances of success.

"I believe it would be foolish to predict the medals," he said.

This season's times suggest Barnet's Sarah Price could do well in the 50 metres and 100m backstroke and Mark Foster stands a good chance in the 50m freestyle, especially now Russian Alex Popov has been forced to withdraw because of a throat infection.

Meanwhile, the Australian swimming team have been forced to hire bodyguards because of Japan's obsession with Ian Thorpe.

The swimmer has six security staff to protect him from the hordes of teenage girls that follow him around the city.

"We were fully aware of Thorpemania long before we came here but it's been bigger than we expected and we've had to take precautions to protect Ian and the rest of the squad," said a spokesman for the Australian team.