Nugent appointed Australia's swimming coach

SYDNEY — Leigh Nugent could be head coach of the Australian swimming team through the next two Olympics. Nugent signed an agreement with Swimming Australia on Tuesday to be head coach until 2013, with an option to continue through the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janiero. In a previous stint as national head coach, Nugent led Australia to its best Olympic performance in the pool when the team collected seven gold medals at Athens in 2004. He quit after Athens and became national youth coach but returned as interim head coach last December when incumbent Alan Thompson took leave after allegations of inappropriate behavior. Thompson accepted a redundancy package in January. Nugent said he was happy to return to the senior role. "To be involved with this team is always a very humbling experience and one that should never be taken for granted," he said. "The Australian swim team plays a unique and important role in elite sport in this country, particularly in relation to Olympic success. "Every member of the Australian swim team works hard toward that success and in pools all over Australia, that journey to London has already begun." Former Swimming New Zealand chief executive David Crocker has been appointed Australia's high performance general manager. – AP