Swimming Australia replaces long-serving Speedo with Arena

The Swimming Australia national governing body has entered into a partnership with Italian swimwear brand Arena.

The four-year deal runs until the end of 2020, covering that year’s summer Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan. Arena will serve as the official swimwear supplier of the Australian swim team, which is known as the Dolphins.

Arena replaces Australian swimwear brand Speedo as the body’s apparel partner. Swimming Australia’s 60-year partnership with Speedo came to an end on December 31.

Arena’s general manager, Luca Belogi, said: “This partnership is a significant announcement for Arena globally, and will be a key pillar of our business development in Australia.

“2017 is set to be a fantastic year for Arena Down Under, as the partnership with Swimming Australia coincides with the appointment of a new business partner, Double Line Sports. Double Line will be our exclusive distributor in Australia, with the goal of becoming the market leader in the next five years.”

Australia picked up 10 swimming medals at the Rio 2016 Olympics, with golds coming in the men’s 400m freestyle for Mack Horton, the men’s 100m freestyle for Kyle Chalmers and the women’s 4x100m freestyle relay.