'Voice of Churchill' inspires swimming team

Britain's swimming boss today offered the gung-ho promise that his team would battle for Olympic gold with unprecedented fighting spirit.

Bill Sweetenham, the feisty Australian who has revolutionised the sport's fortunes at elite level since the nadir of the Sydney Games four years ago, has sent every swimmer in the Great Britain team a motivational letter telling them they are the best prepared unit of any team in any sport at the Games.

Sweetenham's public trumpeting of the chances of a team "with special qualities" comes as a shock after he has spent this summer trying to shield his much-touted medal hopes from too much expectation.

Suddenly, with the swimming programme in Athens only eight days away, he has released an open letter to the media in which he claims in Churchillian style: "This is a team that will represent Britain with a fighting spirit as never witnessed before.

"The courage and conviction of this team is complete, particularly in our philosophy of superior in skill and invincible in attitude.

"I believe this will be one of the strongest teams ever to represent Britain. It is a team that continues to display those special qualities that only a few can aspire to."