Michael Phelps Drops Speedo for Aqua Sphere Partnership

US swimmer Michael Phelps has signed a deal with Aqua Sphere who will provide his race suits. 

Phelps, who had spent his entire professional career with Speedo, will work with Aqua Sphere to try to help expand the sport of swimming even more. The deal is expected to run until 2020 and will include his coach Bob Bowman

“Michael Phelps is one of the select global icons in all of sports, while Coach Bob Bowman is a true swimming mastermind,” said Todd Mitchell, business line manager, Aqua Sphere. “We are honored to align our rich history of innovative aquatic technology and international distribution with their passion for the sport and commitment to share their knowledge and experiences with others in this collaborative line.

“Their positive impact and influence in the aquatics community transcends cultural borders. Together, we have an extraordinary opportunity to inspire and educate consumers about the full lifestyle of swimming through a premier brand complete with instructional context that will minimize the barrier to entry, regardless of skill level.”

“Bob and I share a passion for swimming that goes well beyond practice sessions and competitions, and we have always talked about how we could improve different aspects within the sport,” said Phelps.

“I benefitted from being exposed to a tremendous swimming curriculum at the entry level that helped propel me through the various stages of the sport; over time, I realized that such programming and instruction is not widely available, and so we have tried to address that through programming we develop at the Michael Phelps Swim School. We’ve also seen over the years how certain technical aspects of swimming products and teaching aids could be improved, not only for the elite-level competitive swimmer, but also for entry-level and fitness swimmers.

“With Aqua Sphere’s product design and development capabilities, we believe there is an opportunity to help make the sport more inviting to others by recognizing that everyone begins at different levels, requires assistance matching their skills with products, and lacks the appropriate context in order to maximize their swimming experience.”