The Story Behind Team Elite: Built by Swimmers, for Swimmers.

If you’ve spent enough time on the pool deck, you know swimming is more than a sport - it’s a lifestyle.

The early mornings. The smell of chlorine. The race-day nerves. The lifelong friendships. The endless training sessions that shape not just athletes, but people.

That’s exactly where Team Elite began.

Based in Brisbane, Team Elite has been part of the swimming world since 1991 - building a reputation across more than three decades as one of the most trusted names in custom sportswear, swim caps and event merchandise. Today, Team Elite services everyone from grassroots swim clubs and schools through to national championships and world-class sporting events, with operations extending across Australia, New Zealand, the United States, France and the UK.

But Team Elite isn’t just a merchandise business. It’s a swimming business. And that matters.

Gareth Sykes (Founder)

Gareth Sykes is the founder of Team Elite, bringing over 30 years of experience in the business of sport, shaped by a lifetime in swimming. A former international swimmer for Great Britain, he represented his country for six years at World and European Championships, studied at University of California, Berkeley on a sports scholarship and is a Masters World Record holder. Gareth also played a key role as an event organiser and promoter of the European Masters Swimming Championships. He is co-founder of Great Barrier Reef Ocean Swim, now recognised as one of the ultimate ocean swimming experiences.

Swimming runs through Gareth’s family - his father competed at the 1956 Summer Olympics and 1960 Summer Olympics, his mother served as President of Swim England, and his son Buster Sykes represented Australia. This deep, multi-generational connection to the sport is the foundation Team Elite was built on.

Buster Sykes

Buster Sykes brings a fresh, athlete-first perspective to Team Elite, combining elite swimming experience with creative storytelling and event leadership. A former Australian representative swimmer, Buster understands firsthand the dedication and demands of competitive swimming.

Beyond the pool, Buster has built a strong reputation in swimming photography, capturing the energy and emotion of the sport through his lens. This unique blend of athlete insight and visual storytelling now carries into his role as Team Elite’s newly appointed Director, where he helps shape the event experience from both the athlete and organiser perspective - bringing fresh energy, industry knowledge and a genuine connection to the swimming community.

Nicole Froling

Nicole Froling brings elite swimming experience and athlete development knowledge to Team Elite. A former Australian National Champion, Nicole competed at a high level and built her coaching foundations as a learn-to-swim teacher before coaching squad swimmers on the Sunshine Coast alongside Michael Sage.

Since joining Team Elite in 2016, Nicole has played a key role in its growth as Operations Manager, leading the day-to-day operations behind the scenes for the last 10 years. As co-founder of Great Barrier Reef Ocean Swim, she also brings hands-on event expertise and a strong understanding of what athletes, clubs and organisers need to create successful sporting experiences.

Built by swimmers. Backed by sporting families.

At Team Elite, our experience goes beyond the pool.

Our sales team is made up of sporting mums, volunteers/committee members who understand grassroots sport from the inside. They know what it’s like to organise team uniforms, collect sizes, manage budgets and coordinate orders - because they’ve done it themselves.

Having served on local sporting committees and supported clubs first-hand, they understand the pressure behind every team order and what it takes to get it right. That experience means we don’t just supply teams - we support the people behind them, making the ordering process simpler, smoother and more reliable.

Altogether, they form something rare:

A business run by people who genuinely understand swimmers, parents & committees.