The Dunedin swimming pool where eight-times gold medal winner Michael Phelps tested a Speedo swimsuit may have to close.
Phelps took a record-breaking eighth gold at a single Games in Beijing on Sunday, to beat fellow American swimmer Mark Spitz's seven from Munich in 1972.
The swimsuit brand Speedo used the specially designed swimming flume to test its latest bodysuits, which are said to shave 2% off race times.
Phelps also used the swimming flume at the University of Otago last year to test his Speedo swimsuit.
However the future of the flume looks uncertain, because the university has lost the staff who were interested in the swimming science, resulting in a lack of funding.
University sports scientist Professor David Pease, who oversaw the testing carried out by Speedo and Phelps, says it would be a great loss to sport if the flume had to close.
The university says it will make a final decision on whether to close the pool by the end of the year.
