Five-time Olympic swimming champion Ian Thorpe is to be based in Tenero, Switzerland, under the guidance of Russian Gennadi Touretski, the former coach of swimming legend Alexander Popov.

"When I first heard about Ian returning to swimming I was pleased for him and I was also pleased for Australian swimming," said Touretski.

Thorpe, 28, announced the return to competitive swimming early on February; he won a record nine Olympic medals before his retirement in November 2006.

"I’m looking forward to working with Gennadi, and have been hopeful for some time now that we would be able to get together," said Thorpe.