Associated Press Writer

updated 8:55 p.m. ET Sept. 3, 2008

CHICAGO - The thought of wearing a skintight swimsuit in public makes many people cringe.

But gold medal swimmer Michael Phelps said he wouldn’t be surprised if he dons his Speedo when he hosts the Sept. 13 season premiere of “Saturday Night Live.”

“I’d probably be more comfortable,” Phelps joked in an interview with The Associated Press on Wednesday.

Phelps was in Chicago to tape the season premiere of “The Oprah Winfrey Show” with a host of other Olympians and to show his support for the city’s bid for the 2016 Summer Olympics.

It’s all part of the whirlwind tour Phelps has been on since he snagged a record eight gold medals at the Beijing Olympics last month. Besides Winfrey’s show and his “SNL” gig, Phelps has been feted with a parade at Walt Disney World, filmed a cameo for HBO’s “Entourage” and will be a presenter at the 2008 Video Music Awards.

The 23-year-old Phelps knows his is not the typical swimmer’s life, where name recognition doesn’t extend beyond the pool.

“I’m living a dream right now, so I want to have fun and enjoy it,” he said.

Chicago Olympic organizers are banking on the international attention Phelps brings to the city’s bid. And Phelps is ready to work to convince the International Olympic Committee the city should get the games.

“I’ll do anything I can do, anything I can do to help,” he said, with his lanky swimmer’s body cloaked in a Chicago 2016 polo shirt and jeans.

Chicago is a finalist for the 2016 games along with Tokyo; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; and Madrid, Spain. The IOC will pick a host city next year.

The swimmer attended events promoting Chicago’s Olympic bid the rest of Wednesday, including an evening reception with Mayor Richard Daley and a short live streaming Web chat for Chicago 2016.

Phelps told participants he intends to help bring the Olympics to the U.S. even though he won’t compete in 2016 himself. He said he hopes to compete in one more Olympics, but he won’t swim after age 30.

He described how he lived on pasta, pizza, fruit and Snickers bars while in Beijing. When asked what he would be if he wasn’t a swimmer, he answered, “A couch potato, I’m lazy.”

In a few days, Phelps starts preparing for his “SNL” debut. He told The AP he’s more excited than nervous.

“It’s not going to be easy because I’m not used to that kind of stuff, but I think it’s going to be fun,” he said.

And that’s not all Phelps is up to. He has announced he will use a $1 million bonus he got for his record-breaking swimming to start a foundation that promotes water safety and youth swimming.

He said he wants to “try to get more people in the water, to be comfortable around the water” because that can help in drowning prevention.

Phelps says his coach wants him back in the pool training early next year. In the meantime, he plans to keep up his travels and try to take some time to relax — including spending some valuable time on the couch watching television.

“I like to just live my life,” he said.

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