Wednesday, August 20, 2008 - Page updated at 10:35 AM

Coach says he and Phelps will be in business

Michael Phelps' coach says he and his record-breaking athlete are extending their partnership from training into business, though the details are fuzzy.

By CHRISSIE THOMPSON

Associated Press Writer

BALTIMORE —

Michael Phelps' coach says he and his record-breaking athlete are extending their partnership from training into business, though the details are fuzzy.

The two will go into business together upon returning to their home swim club in Baltimore after Phelps' run of eight Olympic gold medals. Once they're back, they will finalize details of their ventures, which will involve the North Baltimore Aquatic Club and its Meadowbrook Aquatic Center facilities.

"Everything in our life is kind of potential right now," Bob Bowman told The Associated Press Wednesday night in Beijing. "Michael and I are definitely going to go into some business ventures together. What those are, we have some ideas, but we don't have any specifics."

The Meadowbrook facility would eventually have to be expanded, Bowman said.

"In the long term, there will be other facilities and they'll be nice ones," he said. "We're going to go back, kind of assess where we are and what we want to do and take it from there."

In an interview broadcast Monday, Phelps told NBC's "Nightly News" he and Bowman had bought a Baltimore pool. But the remarks were premature, NBAC founder Murray Stephens said. While Stephens is encouraging business talks, no deal has been finalized, and negotiations will take at least two months, he said.

Phelps and Bowman have spent four years in Ann Arbor, Mich., where Bowman coached at the University of Michigan. The school announced in April Bowman was leaving to become chief executive at NBAC, where he says he and the swimmer will work to teach swimming to the next generation.

"Michael's vision is to increase swimming in the United States and the world," Bowman told the AP. "I'm sure we'll be working with kids teaching them how to swim and maybe expanding our swim school operations."

Bowman will also coach "a group of post-grads like Michael" - an endeavor the U.S. Olympic Committee may support as an Olympic development project, Stephens said.

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AP Sports Writer Beth Harris in Beijing contributed to this report.

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