World Sailing unveils global coaching education program to develop the sport

With the support of Olympic Solidarity from the International Olympic Committee (IOC), sessions have been confirmed for Lithuania, Greece, Estonia, the US Virgin Islands, and the United Arab Emirates with another three scheduled in Chile, El Salvador and the Seychelles.

Each course will enable the Member National Authority (MNA) in each country to enhance its program and develop both sailors and promising coaches.

The impact of the course was already felt earlier in the year when World Sailing’s global women’s sailing festival Steering the Course awarded Technical Courses to Uruguay, Malaysia and the Seychelles.

The first planned session at the Yacht Club Uruguayo in Montevideo, Uruguay, featured 15 instructors, and highlighted the potential for growth within the country.

There are relatively few instructors in Uruguay – approximately 20 in 2022 nationwide – but 14 clubs and up to 800 active sailors. The need for new coaching resources is evident and will allow the sport to grow along the Atlantic coast. The 15 instructors taking part were all young female sailors from the various sailing clubs and more experienced female instructors who have been working at the clubs but lack professional training.

Patricia González, Secretaría at Yacht Club Uruguayo, said, “The chance to host a World Sailing Level 1 Technical Course for Coaches will be the kick-off for the club’s strategic action of improving the working conditions of young women sailing instructors in Uruguay. We will be able to provide unprecedented practical knowledge and skills related to sailing techniques, navigation, safety protocols, and boat handling, as well as sailing standards and certifications. These skills will be directly applied to sailing teaching activities in Uruguay.

“It will also contribute to the overall coaching infrastructure of the country by helping to build a nationwide sailing community that can contribute to the growth and development of sailing in Uruguay through improved coaching, participation and commercial partnerships which will then help to attract more sailors, men and women, of all ages,” she added.

The impact of Steering the Course and the Technical Courses is expected to be equally important in The Seychelles.

There are currently no female instructors or coaches in Seychelles; the Steering the Course Technical Course will allow the Seychelles Yachting Association to focus on developing training programs that target beginners, bring them up all the way to intermediate level, and bring about a positive contribution to this male dominated sport.

Betty Alcindor, Secretary of the Seychelles Yachting Association, said, “Seychelles being surrounded by the sea is the ideal environment to promote and enjoy sailing. Over the decades, only a few women shining through irregularly. Our objective is to gain and build traction on the programs targeted to increase female participation starting by empowering women to take on coaching roles so that girls and women are well represented and feel welcome in this sport.”

All courses are delivered by World Sailing’s accredited instructors and will provide the framework for further learning and certification. This then allows the instructors to train others and creates a sustainable education network within each country to improve the level of coaching available for sailors.