Olympic Solidarity helps pave the way for coach development in Nicaragua

by Doug Gray on 31 Jan, 2020 09:15
Olympic Solidarity helps pave the way for coach development in Nicaragua

From 20-24 January, the Nicaraguan city of Granada welcomed a long-awaited ITU Coaches Level 1 Course to the Granada Hotel by Cocibolca Lake, just 40 km outside the capital Managua. It was an ideal location for the course, with participants able to enjoy the environment whilst getting the most out of a fantastic learning experience.

Funded by Olympic Solidarity, the course was a joint project between the Federacion Nicaraguense de Triatlon and the Nicaraguan Olympic Committee designed to boost triathlon through the development of local coaches who work with the sport at various levels.

Attending coaches displayed their commitment throughout all five days of the course, clearly excited by the opportunity to better understand triathlon and increase their specific knowledge of the sport, alongside associated topics in each of the sessions. The group of seventeen attendees’ busy schedule involved theory and practical sessions, where lively discussions and pro-active participation were shared.

President of Federacion Nicaraguense de Triatlon Antonio Silva highlighted his enthusiasm for the project with the course representing a truly groundbreaking development project for triathlon in Nicaragua. The combined efforts of the National Federation and the Nicaraguan Olympic Committee, along with ITU, provided a unique opportunity for local coaches to get a deeper understanding of triathlon, that will be applied to the development of local athletes.

Claudia Beristain (MEX) and Rodrigo Milazzo (BRA), the assigned ITU Coach Facilitators of the course, not only gave introductions into triathlon coaching theory and practice but have extensively assisted participants to familiarise themselves with the the ITU Education HUB e-learning platform. With this experience, coaches will be able to deliver an overall athlete development process in Nicaragua, bringing positive results and outcomes.

ITU Development works closely with IOC Olympic Solidarity and our member National Federations to maximise the opportunity offered by OS world programs via National Olympic Committees. In the Tokyo Olympic Cycle (2017-2020) the following nations have been awarded OS grants for hosting an ITU Coaches Course: Kyrgyzstan, Tunisia, Lebanon, Venezuela, Nepal, Cyprus, Nigeria, Rwanda, Dominican Republic, Syria, Egypt, Mongolia, Colombia, Moldova, Senegal, Belarus and Barbados.

National Federations still have a chance to apply for OS funding before the current Olympic Cycle ends.

Please contact Zita Csovelyak, Sr. Manager – ITU Development, on zita@triathlon.org for more information about Olympic Solidarity.

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