SYDNEY, May 23 (Reuters) - Five-times Olympic champion Ian Thorpe's quest to win a place at the 2012 London Games will take him to Adelaide next year after the city was awarded the right to host the Australian swimming championships on Monday.

The championships, which since 2000 have mostly been held at the Sydney pool where Thorpe won the first five of his nine Olympic medals, will take place from March 15-22 and double up as the trials for London.

The newly-opened "state-of-the-art" SA Aquatic and Leisure Centre will also host the 2013 championships, which will serve as the trials for the world championships in Barcelona later that year.

"Hosting the country's top swimmers at our new swim centre as they battle for Olympic selection will be fantastic for South Australia and for swimming," said South Australian Premier Mike Rann.

Thorpe, Australia's most successful Olympian, is in training in Switzerland after coming out of retirement in an attempt to swim in a third Summer Games.