USA: Aaron Peirsol, one of the all-time greats of backstroke, returns to the fray on March 5-7 for the first time since the Olympic Games in Beijing, when he retained the 100m crown (set the world record on the way there) and took silver in the 200m behind teammate Ryan Lochte. Peirsol, 2004 double Olympic backstroke champion and a silver medallist in 200o at the age of 17, is among 10 US OLympic team members entered for the Austin Grand Prix, the fourth stop of the USA Swimming Grand Prix Series.

The meet boasts a great US or former US-based international line-up, including Olympic 200m back champion Kirsty Coventry (ZIM), Olympic 50m champion Cesar Cielo (BRA), Olympic relay medallist Fred Bousquet (FRA) and Olympic bronze medallist of 2004, George Bovell (TRI).

There too will be multiple medallist and world champion Katie Hoff,  supermom Dara Torres, Olympic silver medallist in the 50m freestyle in Beijing at the age of 41, and GP leaderboard queen Mary DeScenza, on her way to the $20,000 series prize for the best overall (consistency wise) performance. Other Olympic team members on the roster are Lacey Nymeyer, Peter Vanderkaay, Kara Lynn Joyce, Elizabeth Beisel, Kathleen Hersey and Austin-based Garrett Weber-Gale and Eric Shanteau.

In Austin, heats are raced in a 25-yard pool, finals in a 50m pool. The Austin Grand Prix is the fourth stop in the six-meet USA Swimming Grand Prix Series, theleaderboard can be found online at www.usaswimming.org/grandprix. The last two stops of the Grand Prix series are in Charlotte, N.C., and Santa Clara, California.

France: Philippe Lucas, a nomad coach who has been seen with swimmers at pools in  Perpignan, La Rochelle and Dunkerque on his way to French nationals and Rome 2009 trials from April 22 to 26 in Montpellier, is in talks with the Font-Romeu altitude centre about leading a programme and squad in readiness for the London 2012 Games. Font-Romeu is reported in the French media as being "very interested" in a partnership with the mentor of Laure Manaudou.

Spain: On March 7-8, the Stadium Casablanca and the IV Trofeo Internacional CAI Ciudad de Zaragoza will host the latest blast by Aschwin Wildeboer, 100m back  short-course world records holder, and Spain's only Olympic finalist in the Beijing pool.