Scotland wins elite swim centre

Todd Cooper competes at the National Aquatics Centre in Beijing

The University of Stirling is to become a base for elite swimmers ahead of the 2012 Olympics in London, it has been announced.

Already home to the National Swimming Academy, it will host one of five intensive training centres, created by sports governing body British Swimming.

The university has been given an initial four-year contract.

Centres will also be established in Bath, Stockport and Loughborough and Swansea.

British Swimming received 10 bids to host the centres, which aim to boost athletes and coaches and improve Britain's chances in 2012.

They will be funded by UK Sport, the national high performance sports agency.

Stirling University is already home to a centre for paralympic swimmers - including British team member Charlotte Henshaw.

'Sports science'

Todd Cooper and Andy Hunter - who both have swimming scholarships at Stirling University - took part in the Beijing games last week.

Peter Bilsborough, director of sports development at Stirling University, said: "This intensive training centre will help the university and its partners build on all that has been achieved, providing the finest facilities and services to the country's most talented swimmers."

Michael Scott, national performance director at British Swimming, said the centres would provide a quality training environment.

He said: "Creating a world-class daily training environment is an essential part of our overall strategy towards realising our long-term performance goals.

"This will enable us to further challenge for more future Olympic success."

Stirling was the first Scottish university to offer sports scholarships, in 1981, and currently accommodates more than 50 sports scholars in golf, swimming, football, tennis and triathlon.

The university was also named Scotland's university for sporting excellence by the Scottish Government earlier this year.