By Martyn Ziegler, PA Chief Sports Reporter

Britain's six most promising young swimmers will be fast-tracked to success in Australia under a scheme announced on Saturday by the sport's UK performance director.

The group of teenagers will spend the last two years of school, between the ages of 16 and 18, on Australia's Gold Coast, enabling them to train in a world-class environment. Two senior swimmers will also be given the chance to spend time in Australia.

Bill Sweetenham, the Australian who took over as national performance director 20 months ago, said: "It will be an elite group of six junior athletes and a couple of senior athletes.

"We will take people for the last two years of their school to the Gold Coast where they can take advantage of the facilities.

"They will study at the Southport School there. It is very good academically and has great facilities.

"By putting people in that environment they will be surrounded by success and that will immediately impact on them.

"The idea is we can fast-track them to another level."

Sweetenham was appointed just before the Sydney Olympics - where Britain failed to win a swimming medal for the first Games since 1936.

No time scale has been given to the scheme, but it is part of his plan to revive British swimming at the elite level.

He was appalled by the facilities in Britain, and points to the fact that at junior level Britain struggles even in Europe.

He added: "In the European Junior Championships, eighth place is in most cases faster than first place in our national junior championships."