Former Australian Olympic head coach Bill Sweetenham has taken over as Britain's new national performance director.

Sweetenham, who also worked as the head coach at the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra for 10 years, has been handed a formidable task.

Team GB's large swimming contingent returned empty-handed from the Sydney Olympics.

It was the first time since the Berlin Games of 1936, that Britain's swimmers failed to win an Olympic medal of any colour.

That was in stark contrast to the five golds and host of silver and bronzes won by Australia's swimmers, led by Ian Thorpe with three gold and two silvers.

Opportunity

Sweetenham said: "I am looking forward to the opportunity to develop the British system from grass roots up."

He will have both strategic control and hands on responsibility for guiding British swimming through the next four years, including the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester, and the 2004 Olympics in Athens.

Sweetenham, voted Australian Coach of the year on three different occasions, has placed 63 swimmers on international teams with 27 winning medals at Olympics and World Championships.

Amateur Swimming Federation of Great Britain chief executive David Sparkes said: "Bill Sweetenham brings a lifetime of experience and achievement which British swimming will undoubtedly benefit greatly from."