New Zealand Para Swimming National Development Coach Gary Francis has been part of team of experts who have created the first ever Para swimming coaching courses.
The courses are part of the build up to the final World Series of the year, also set to take place in Berlin from 6 – 9 July.
The courses, supported by the Agitos Foundation, the development arm of the International Paralympic Committee, through the 2016 Grand Support Programme (GSP), and its partner ‘The Foundation for Global Sports Development’, seek to increase the number and improve the pool of qualified swimming professionals.
The newly-created ‘Introduction to Coaching Programme’ will be launched on 29 June, responding to the needs expressed by the Para swimming community. Eleven coaches from Austria, Belgium, Colombia, Faroe Islands, Honduras, Italy, Jamaica, the Netherlands and Uruguay will be in attendance.
By the end of the course, participants will have further knowledge about the role of the coach, competition types and processes, rules and regulations, technical aspects of swimming, strength and conditioning, nutrition and talent identification.
Ahead of that, the IPC Academy Educator Programme for Classifiers and Coaches, will be held from 26-28 June, delivered by IPC’s education partner World Academy of Sport.
It will be followed by the second World Para Swimming Level 2 PI Classifier Programme, from 29 June-1 July, with 12 participants from 11 countries: Algeria, Belarus, China, Costa Rica, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Kenya, Morocco, Poland and Singapore.
World Academy of Sport will also deliver an IPC Academy Educator Programme for Technical Officials from 1-3 July. A Level 4 Technical Officials Programme will close the series of courses, from 4-5 July, with the practical sessions taking place at the World Series itself from 6-9 July.
The IPC Academy is a partnership between the IPC and the World Academy of Sport and is the education division of the IPC. The Academy brings individuals together to improve educational standards of sport throughout the Paralympic Movement and ensures that executives, administrators and officials have an educational centre, providing world class programmes.
Story source – International Paralympic Committee.
