London, Aug 3 (ANI): The Australian women's swimming team are reading the erotic novel 'Fifty Shades of Grey' to help them relax while competing in the 2012 London Olympic Games, it has been revealed.

The female swimmers are turning to the racy bestseller in order to unwind when they are out of the pool according to athlete Alicia Coutts, who won the gold medal for the women's 4x100m freestyle relay at the weekend, along with her team mates Cate Campbell, Brittany Elmslie and Melanie Schlange, the Daily Mail reported.

Coutts, 24, said that she became hooked on the book after picking it at a service station when she and the 20 other members of the team travelled from their training camp in Manchester to the Athletes Village in East London.

Most of the swimming girls are reading Fifty Shades of Grey. We're all talking about it, she told the Herald Sun.

Everyone has been talking about it. My manager said just forget about the sex bits and it's actually a really good story.

I've found it really interesting. I can't put it down, she said.

Coutts said that she is already onto the steamy second installment of E L James' trilogy, 'Fifty Shades Darker.'

Her teammate Stephanie Rice, 24, has also admitted to being a fan of the book and recently tweeted a picture of herself reading it. (ANI)