The United States swim team will be here next week to prepare for the July 21-28 Fina World Championships in South Korea.
The 45 Gwangju-bound swimmers, which include 18 Olympic champions, will be in town for a training camp from July 9 to 16, the Singapore Swimming Association (SSA) said in a statement yesterday.
The Singapore swimmers competing at the world championships, led by 100m butterfly Olympic champion Joseph Schooling, will be training in Japan during that time.
The likes of seven-gold world champion Caeleb Dressel, five-time Olympic champion Katie Ledecky and two-time Olympic champion Lilly King will train primarily at the OCBC Aquatic Centre.
Training sessions will be closed to the public except on July 13, when fans can watch the team train and join a meet-and-greet session.
SSA executive director Edwin Ker said: "The SSA is delighted to collaborate with USA Swimming on building a longer-term relationship and partnership.
"For a start, we are proud that we are their choice location for their World Championships final preparations, with a view to make this their training base as well as in the lead-up to the 2020 Olympics and 2021 World Championships.
"On top of the Fina World Cup in August, the sports and aquatics community in Singapore will be excited and inspired to be up close and personal with world-record holders, Olympic and world champions.
"We also hope that local coaches and swimming clubs in Singapore will make full use of the opportunity to learn from the most successful swimming nation in the world."
Singapore Sports Hub chairman Bryn Jones noted that the Americans have "long been trailblazers for international competitive swimming standards".
He said: "Singapore Sports Hub's facilities are athlete-centric and having one of the world's best swimming team train with us will definitely inspire many swimmers."
At the 2017 world championships, the US swimmers topped the medal table with 18 golds - seven coming from the 22-year-old Dressel - 10 silvers and 10 bronzes.
Schooling, 24, won bronze in the 100m butterfly.
USA Swimming national team managing director Lindsay Mintenko thanked the SSA for its support and hailed the partnership between both associations.
She said: "Our priority is to provide our team with the best and most effective training environment before competitions and we have found this in Singapore.
"We look forward to using this training camp as a springboard to our success in South Korea, and for years to come."
