The Olympic moto is Citius, Altius, Fortius... ‘Faster, Higher, Stronger’. It is about seeking perfection at the highest level of human endeavour.

Is athletic perfection possible? I believe not. Certainly not in our lifetime. We as humans are continually improving in everything we do and world records continue to fall.

When the seemingly perfect race is swum, or the perfect leap is made, a new generation of athletes take it to a new level.

That’s what make this sporting journey so fascinating, so rewarding. Yes, faster, higher, stronger.

As part of this journey, our athletes from all over the country are currently preparing for the 2018 Hancock Prospecting Australian Swimming Trials that double as selection for the Commonwealth Games. This is a key test of the thousands of hours of training and commitment by them and their coaches.

A successful trials and subsequent inclusion into the Australian Dolphins Swim Team will be a dream come true for some. For others, it will be a stepping stone to Commonwealth Games glory; gold, silver and bronze.

Coming off the lessons learned from the Rio Olympics and Paralympics we made the decision to conduct the Commonwealth Games trials five weeks out from the Games, instead of the typical 3 months.

This is new for Australia. But not new for the Americans and other nations. Assuming all goes well, the same schedule will be used through to the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics in 2020.

Network Seven will broadcast the Trials from Feb 28th to March 3rd.

Prime time. Lock it in.

Then the Commonwealth Games begin 5 weeks later with the swim program leading the way fromApril 5-10... this will be a big deal for the country. With the Commonwealth Games being held on home soil at the Gold Coast, national coverage will be at saturation level. Exciting times.

People ask me how is our Swim Team going? I say, we will know more by the end of this month.

Australia is proud of our sporting heritage. The country demands we do well. It has been said our Swim Team is of national importance. That is true.

The pressure will be on. We make no apologies about that. That’s how we like it.

And yes, ‘Faster, Higher, Stronger’....that is the dream, that is our world.

Tickets for the 2018 Hancock Prospecting Australian Swimming Trials are available from Ticketek

Go Australia!