Bengaluru, Sep 30 (IANS): Michael Phelps Swim School in association with Gameday Arts launched their excellence programmes here on Wednesday as India became the first international venture for the programme.

Hilary Phelps, the eldest sister of the legendary Michael Phelps, said the programme was specifically designed for children with an intention to provide swimmers of all skill levels with the most proven technique to learn swimming.

The training methods are the same that helped Phelps win 18 Olympic, 26 World and 16 Pan-Pacific championships medals, she said.

Hilary Phelps, the creative director of Michael Phelps Swim School, interacted with the children and answered all their questions on what Michael had to do to become a record-breaking Olympic swimmer.

"This country has so much potential to excel in every sport in existence and swimming is no different. The reason we chose Bangalore as the venue for our swim clinics is because of its rich history of nurturing young swimming talent and a vibrant swimming culture.

"We want to give Indians the opportunity to learn to swim and later become a competitive force in the sport of swimming. We (Michael Phelps Swim School) are very excited to work together to bring our programme to India, especially Bangalore," said Hillary.

CEO of Gameday Arts, Jai Gill said: "This is a wonderful opportunity for young swimmers to learn to swim exactly the way Michael Phelps was taught.

"With the programme, we aim to provide young swimmers an opportunity to become world-class athletes by teaching the fundamentals of the sport with a proven and successful method.

"With the swim clinics being set up in the city, we are confident that our programmes will emphasize the importance of life skills learnt from swimming. Our ultimate aim is to enhance the swimming experience for young children to be able to develop the next generation of swimmers from Bengaluru."