Media

The fourth edition of the Korea Triathlon - World Triathlon Coaching Education Programme has come to an end. The close of the programme was celebrated with a Graduation Ceremony, an opportunity for all stakeholders to come together via a virtual meeting format, on Tuesday 23 November. The Programme Graduation Ceremony is available to watch on-demand at TriathlonLIVE.tv.

This edition of the programme was delivered virtually from August to November 2021 and supported and funded by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) of Korea, the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC), the Korea Sports Promotion Foundation (KSPO) and the Korea Triathlon Federation (KTF). The aim of the project is to provide opportunities for developing nations to access coaching education in triathlon and get qualified by World Triathlon as triathlon coaches at two levels: World Triathlon Level 1 Coach and World Triathlon Level 2 Coach.  250 World Triathlon Level 1 and Level 2 coaches were certified through the programme.

“I would like to warmly welcome everyone who is involved in the Korea Triathlon Federation - World Triathlon Coaching Education Programme to today’s Graduation Webinar and offer my congratulations to all the graduates here today. The programme has been delivered virtually from August to November and has been supported and financed by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Korea, the Korean Sport and Olympic Committee, the Korea Sports Promotion Foundation and the Korea Triathlon Federation. Thank you to these important stakeholders,” said Marisol Casado, World Triathlon President and IOC Member.

“What an incredible virtual journey! Piloting a new online delivery format means that, similarly to you, we have been on a learning curve as well. Every single day we learnt something new, inspirational, and mindful from you. Your feedback, notes, experiences, interactions, and criticism make our education better, user friendly and learner-centred. We missed the taste of Korea, the cultural journey, the morning runs, the everyday discussions over the meals in the hotel, the mingling between coaches and facilitators, personal interactions, networking and sharing. But we tried to maximise the online space with 20 facilitators, 5 guest speakers, weekly open hours, live seminars, and many webinars and videos.”
“A huge thank you to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Korea, the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee, the Korea Sports Promotion Foundation and the Korea Triathlon Federation for their continuous support and investment in this unique project,” said Zita Csovelyak, Head of World Triathlon National Federation Services & Development.

M. Noor Khoja from Syria attended the Graduation Ceremony, via the virtual meeting format.
“First I want to congratulate the development team and the Korean triathlon for the success of this pioneering initiative. I think we have proven to the world that is nothing impossible! I’m very proud to be a part of this initiative and proud of what we have achieved, proud of the amazing people that I knew in this course, and proud of how this course has improved me.”

Yolmary Vasquez (VEN)
“Good morning, it is an honour to represent triathlon and women, I started in this wonderful sport when I was 13 years old as an athlete, which has given me a better life, family, a daughter, friends, a team and especially to help other people. I believe that the best opportunities come when we least expect them. This programme is a great opportunity to turn our weaknesses into strengths, to be better professionals and better people. My experience in the programme has been very significant because it has allowed me to acquire new knowledge and interact with other coaches. It is important to transmit fair play, respect, responsibility and to motivate more women to continue developing in triathlon.  To break the social paradigms that fall on us, and encourage them to make their dreams come true, like today I am making my dreams come true. “Never stop growing, growing is intelligence will make you reach and enjoy your goals.”

Sally Watson (PNG)
“Firstly I want to say thanks to our National federation for recommending me to do this course. To be honest I started doing coaching to support my husband and community, I didn’t think I would be in this position. I want to thank, World Triathlon for making this education possible. It has been very useful to say the least and a big learning curve for me personally.”
“I have never done any online learning before so I found this quite challenging. It was hard for me to find time to do it but I think having Rolando doing it with me was good as it also became competitive. I enjoyed having the open hour zoom sessions. It was nice to put faces on everyone involved. At times it was a little intimidating as most people seemed to have years of coaching experience and some are athletes.”

One of the real values of the programme is global accessibility. Participants got to know different cultures, lifestyles and mindsets and while working in micro-groups they had an excellent opportunity to expand their networks, learn about the opportunities and challenges of their peers from other countries and continents.

For more information of World Triathlon Development and Education initiatives, visit the World Triathlon Education Hub.