Hackett joining AOC delegation to Beijing

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Olympic swimming champion Grant Hackett leaves for Beijing on Sunday as part of an Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) delegation which will sign a new co-operation agreement with the Chinese Olympic Committee.

It will be Hackett’s first visit to Beijing and he will be a co-signatory to the agreement to work together in the lead-up to the 2008 Beijing Games.

“My total focus for the next four years will to put in the hard training to do all I can to achieve a third consecutive gold medal in the 1500m freestyle,” Hackett said in an AOC statement.

Hackett has enjoyed a break after his gold medal win in Athens but is hoping to do a training swim at the National Training Centre in Beijing on Monday.

AOC president John Coates said he invited Hackett “because he is an outstanding ambassador for his sport and his country”.

“He is very excited about seeing China for the first time and it will give him an opportunity to look at the landscape and the preparations for 2008,” he said.

The co-operation agreement will enable Australian athletes to train and compete in China regularly in the lead-up to the 2008 Olympics, while Chinese athletes will also visit Australia.

In January, China will have the biggest contingent at the Australian Youth Olympic Festival in Sydney out of the 30 countries taking part. It is sending 173 athletes and 55 coaches and officials.

AOC spokesman Mike Tancred said the agreement would benefit Australia’s athletes in the build-up to the 2008 Olympics.

“It will allow our athletes pretty free access to go up there and train and compete, and in effect make it our second home,” he said.

“It will also allow for the exchange of ideas between coaches, trainers, scientists, medical teams and the like.”

The AOC said the agreement also includes a commitment to condemn doping.

The Australian delegation, including Hackett, will be visiting the National Anti-Doping Laboratory in Beijing on Tuesday.