Michael Phelps, Cesar Cielo, Alain Bernard and Filippo Magnini are among the big names heading for the Paris Open on June 26-27, organisers confirmed at a press conference in the Franech capital. All three Olympic champions are likely to clash in the 100m freestyle. 

Phelps will receive a $100,000 fee if he races in at least two events. That fee includes the costs of coach Bob Bowman, the Phelps family and a camp at Vichy, according to French reports this morning. The total budget for the meet is 1.3million euros. Great from swimming. (Also enough to make a Greek weep, what with all those bail-out euros from the EU sitting in ... French banks). 

French team manager Christian Donze said: "He (Phelps) told us 'I can guarantee you that I'm not coming to France, home of the sprinters, to hide myself away and not compete in the 100m'."

The form guide, season best times since 2006:

Cielo (BRA), Olympic champion 50m free, bronze 100m, 2008; world champion 50m free, 100m free, 2009

• 2010: 48.63 so far, textile
• 2009: 46.91 full shiny WR
• 2008: 47.67 part-poly
• 2007: 48.51 textile
• 2006: 48.61 textile

Bernard (FRA), Olympic champion 100m free, bronze 50m free, 2008; world silver 100m free

• 2010: 48.32 so far, textile
• 2009: 46.94 full shiny (French record but never ratified as world record at height of shiny suit chaos)
• 2008: 47.20 part poly
• 2007: 48.12 textile
• 2006: 49.22 textile

Magnini (ITA), world champion 100m free, 2005, 2007

• 2009: 48.04 full shiny
• 2008: 48.11 part poly
• 2007: 48.43 textile
• 2006: 48.79 textile
• 2005: 48.12 textile 

Phelps (USA), winner of a record, across all sports, 14 Olympic gold medals, including 4x100m free, 2008.

• 2010: yet to race 100m free
• 2009: 47.78 part-poly
• 2008: 47.51 part-poly (relay lead-off, at the time 3rd fastest 100m swim ever)
• 2007: 48.42 textile
• 2006: 48.83 textile

Non-textile suits that buoyed performance and swimming speed were banned along with the bodysuit cut from January 1, 2010, in a return to textile-only suits.

At the dawn of the shiny suits era, in February 2008, the world record over 100m free stood at 47.84, to Pieter Van Den Hoogenband (NED), that effort dating back to the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.

Phelps has made no secret of the fact that he aims to make the 100m free one of his events for a final Olympic showdown at London 2012.

For more info: the OPEN-EDF website.