The Princess of Monaco, Charlene Wittstock, former South African swimmer, has offered to host her native nation's Olympic swimming team at no cost in the lead-up to the London 2012 Olympic Games.
South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) CEO Tubby Reddy was quoted by Eyewitness News Sports radio as saying that the Princess, married to Prince Albert II of Manaco last year, would allow Swim South Africa full board stay in the principality from June 1 up to the cusp of action at the London Aquatics Centre.
"We only have to cover travel expenses. She will take care of everything else. She'll provide the facility, nutrition and accommodation," said Reddy.
The offer is a godsend for the SA federation after the loss of a major sponsor and struggles with the national lottery funding mechanism.
Wittstock, who represented South Africa at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, met the Prince at the Monte Carlo round of the Mare Nostrum Tour a few years back. She retired from competitive swimming in 2007, while her husband had long been the patron of swimming and the MN meet at home.
Wittstock's marriage into the Royal House of Monaco also brought her closer to the corridors of Olympic power: her man is a member of the International Olympic Committee.
South African swimming's deal may well be the closest thing yet to an IOC member supporting a whole national team on its way to a Games.
