MOULTRIE — With the Athens Olympic Games beginning next week, the coordinators of the Junior National Diving Championships have decided to add an Olympic flavor to their opening ceremonies.

The Junior Nationals will run Monday through Saturday of next week at the Moose Moss Aquatic Center.

The meet, which concludes the summer diving season, is expected to draw 229 competitors, including eight representing the Moss Farms Diving Tigers: Anna Aguero, Ann Perry Blank, Maddie Qurnell, Carly Moore, Hannah Moore, Nic Price, Ryan Helms and Owen Blank.

The divers will parade to the pool deck for the opening ceremonies, which will begin at 6 p.m. Sunday.

The speaker for the opening ceremonies will be Matt Scoggin, the diving coach at the University of Texas.

Scoggin was captain of the U.S. Olympic diving team that competed in the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. He also was an assistant coach on the U.S. Olympic diving team in 2000.

“I grew up diving against Matt,” Moss Farms Diving coach Ron Piemonte said. “I’m honored that he’s going to give the divers and the spectators the keynote address. I’m looking forward to having him speak. He’s a terrific guy.”

Scoggin competed for the University of Texas from 1981-1985. He also has been a successful coach, establishing Texas as one of the nation’s top women’s diving programs.

In 2001 and 2002, he was voted the Men’s NCAA Diving Coach of the Year and also has been selected both the NCAA Division I National Women’s Coach of the Year and the Big 12 Conference Women’s Diving Coach of the Year in 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2003.

Among his divers at Texas was Laura Wilkinson, who earned a gold medal on the 10-meter platform at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

Another was Verya Ilyina, who competes for Russia and won the gold medal in the 3-meter synchronized springboard at Sydney.

A number of former Olympic divers are expected to be in attendance and will be introduced during the opening ceremonies.

One of those will be U.S. Diving president Dave Burgering, who also coaches the Coral Springs Dive Team. Burgering was on the 1980 U.S. Olympic Team.

Wendy Reich Lerew, who is married to former Moss Farms coach Jay Lerew, will be recognized. Now coaching Team Orlando with her husband, she was a two-time Canadian Olympic team member.

Dario DiFazio, an assistant diving coach at the University of Miami, is expected to be in Moultrie on Sunday. He competed for Venezuela in the 1992 Olympics.

Melisa Moses, a member of the 1996 Olympic Team, is coaching in Jacksonville, Fla., and will be present on Sunday.

So will Veronica Ribot-Canales, a four-time member of the Argentina Olympic team. She currently coaches Miami’s Team Olympia.

Kelly McCormick, who won a silver medal at the 1984 Games and a bronze medal in Seoul in 1988, will be on hand.

Several other Olympians are expected.

Ron O’Brien, the eight-time U.S. Olympic Team coach, will not be in Moultrie in time for the opening ceremonies, but is expected to attend on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, Piemonte said.

O’Brien is the national technical director for U.S. Diving.

The championships begin Monday with prelims in six events.

Prelims will be held on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Finals will be held on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

The meet includes 74 teams from 27 states.

Three Georgia teams have divers who will compete. In addition to the eight from Moss Farms, three from the Atlanta Diving Association and one from Georgia Dive Club are included.