October 22, 2024
4 minutes reading time
Eight international coaches graduate from seven-week World Sailing Training Scholarship program
The conditions may have been challenging, but the eight coaches at this year’s World Sailing Training Scholarship have risen to the occasion and took every wave in their stride.
Based at the Andrew Simpson Centre in Portland, UK, the attendees spent seven weeks learning vital skills to enrich their coaching careers and benefit the sailing programmes in their home nations.
Covering modules that are integral to National Training Programs, including World Sailing Technical Courses for Coaches Levels 1, 2 and 3, as well as specific modules in Safe Sport, Running a Sailing Centre, and Development Planning in a National Federation, the candidates all showed great enthusiasm for the course and teamwork to inspire each other.
Participants in the 2024 World Sailing Training Scholarship and their projects:
- Alexandra Williman (URU) – Developing a Youth Performance Pathway
- I Made Astika Oye Wahyudi (INA) – Developing the Indonesian Olympic Kiteboarding Team
- Dhuha Al-Besher (UAE) – Developing a National Female Program in the United Arab Emirates – Bint Al Bahar
- Noriko Okuma (JPN) – Creating a year-round program for Japanese Sailing Centres
- Marina Roma da Fonte (BRA) – Enabling the development of social skills through the practice of sailing; understanding them as a way to develop more sustainable social relations
- Ines Ofelia Balestrini (ARG) – Creating the Argentina Youth Sailing Squad to support youth sailors who are in the transition between the U15 classes to the U19 and professional classes
- Ridgely Balladares (PHI) – Creating the I PHIL Sailing Program to introduce sailing to a broader audience
- Radoslaw Furmanski (POL) – Development Strategy for iQFOiL National Team: From Identifying Talents to Achieving International Success
Dhuha Al-Besher, ILCA 6 sailor and coach from the UAE, said, “I am truly grateful to be part of the 2024 World Sailing Training Scholarship. It has given me the chance to learn from some of the most knowledgeable and experienced individuals in the sport, and absorb a wide range of insights, from technical skills to cultural understanding, and has left me deeply impressed by how everything operates on a global level. Being surrounded by such expertise motivates me to grow as both a sailor and a leader, with the ultimate goal of using what I’ve learned to develop a national female sailing program in the United Arab Emirates. I hope to make a lasting impact on the future of women in sailing back home, creating more opportunities for empowerment and inclusion in my country.”
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Brazilian coach Marina Roma da Fonte added, “Participating in this year’s World Sailing Training Scholarship Program has been incredibly valuable, as it allows direct contact with different cultures and alternative ways of structuring and developing programs. I believe that this interaction with diversity fosters significant personal growth and opens new perspectives on ways of collaboration and project creation. The opportunity to be part of such a course is really a unique chance to contribute to building a global community that sees sailing as more than just a sport, but also as a welcoming space that can be considered a home.”
Ridgely Balladares from the Philippines is aiming to be part of the growth of sailing in his country. He said, “It’s a great challenge to restructure a program that has been there for decades, but having this new tool introduced by World Sailing, I know I can make it. The Philippine Sailing Association will start educating our own coaches and giving them pathways for their future in order to achieve this goal, which is looking to expand our sailing community and reach out to the other sailing clubs in the Philippines.”
As part of the program, the candidates also had the opportunity to volunteer with the Inclusive Development Program and the 2024 RS Venture Connect World Championships, held at Rutland Water from 30 September to 3 October, to learn about Para Inclusive Sailing.
The coaches took part in the Inclusive Development Program (IDP), shadowed expert coaches out on the water and supported sailors with coaching tips and boat changeovers. The group also took part in the activities, meeting the attendees from around the world and in some cases being able to connect with teams from their home country.
Over the final weeks, coaches completed the Technical Course for Coaches Level 3, looking into performance coaching and learnt how to incorporate foiling into performance pathways.
Cat Duncan, World Sailing Development Manager, said, “Congratulations to all of the coaches completing this year’s programme. The World Sailing Training Scholarship aims to equip athletes and coaches with skills they can take back to their sailing clubs and national programs to add a new dimension to both their own careers and future prospects as well as with fellow athletes and those coming through the system. We are grateful to the Andrew Simpson Centre for supporting the Training Scholarship this year, and to the RS Venture Connect World Championships for offering participants a chance to learn more about Para Inclusive Sailing to help grow the sport in their own regions.”
The World Sailing Training Scholarship is supported by National Olympic Committees and Olympic Solidarity, the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) global development initiative.
MNA’s interested in finding out more can visit the World Sailing Training Scholarship page on the World Sailing website.