Australian Doug Frost has been named head coach of the new British Swimming Intensive Training Centre in Stirling.
A former senior swimming coach for the Australian Institute of Sport, Frost is best known for guiding Ian Thorpe to triple Olympic gold in Sydney in 2000.
"After working at elite level for 18 years, I believe I can help make Great Britain a dominant force at the London Olympics in 2012," said Frost.
He will lead one of the five new ITCs which have been created nationwide.
The purpose of the centres - the other four are in Stockport, Swansea, Bath and Loughborough - is to provide world-class facilities for swimmers in the build-up to 2012.
"Nowhere in the world will British swimmers find uncompromised training opportunities more conducive to success than in the ITC programme"
Following Rebecca Adlington's double gold in Beijing, where Team GB also clinched four other swimming medals, Frost is confident the structure is now in place to turn the hosts into a more powerful force in the pool.
"The introduction of the new ITCs in Great Britain will mean a new added element of high-level competition between the centres," he stated.
"That will only help further develop the sport, while introducing high-level training facilities will only help develop swimmers in the UK".
British Swimming national performance director Michael Scott insists there will be no excuses if the new system does not produce a generation of world-class performers.
606: DEBATE"There are very few training opportunities in the world of swimming that offer world-class coaching, highly qualified support staff and ideal training conditions with an exclusive focus on preparation for peak performance in major international competition," he said.
"Nowhere in the world will British swimmers find uncompromised training opportunities more conducive to success in major international competition than in the ITC programme."
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