Phelps to swim at IU Natatorium today

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - Some of the best swimmers in the world are in Indianapolis this week for this year's National Championship.

800 athletes here this week, all of them vying for a spot on the FINA World Championship team that will be going to Rome, Italy at the end of the month.

Organizers say this is a huge week for these world class athletes, but it's also a huge week for Indianapolis.

In years past, the almost week long event has brought millions of dollars to the city.

Thousands of people from all across the country attend this event, which means big business for hotels, restaurants and other local businesses.

And with the attention that Michael Phelps has brought to the sport, organizers are expecting even bigger crowds this year. “This is a great time for swimming, it's wonderful, its phenomenal right now, and so there's a lot of buzz about the sport. We are so fortunate to have the super stars here right after the run in Beijing and USA swimming has done a phenomenal job at promoting the sport and making it bigger than life right now," said Julie McKenney, Director of IU Natatorium.

Everything began Tuesday and the event will go on until Saturday, but Wednesday organizers are expecting very large crowds here because it will be Michael Phelps' first competition of the week.

Doors open at 7:30 Wednesday morning. Preliminaries begin at 9 a.m.