Swimming clinic for coaches ends tomorrow
A four-day coaching clinic for swimming coaches and teams is ongoing at the Burma Camp Leisure and Recreational Centre in Accra.
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The clinic, an initiative of the Ghana Swimming Association (GSA), opened last Monday with about 30 registered coaches and swimmers will end tomorrow with theoretical and practical aspects of the sport.
According to the course facilitator, who doubles as the head coach of the national swimming team, Mr Abbiw Jackson, the event is expected to empower the instructors of the sport to get a better understanding of swimming to help improve the skills and competencies of their athletes.
“If we want to improve the swimmers what we do is to improve the quality of coaching. It is just like being in a school. If you want to improve education, improve the quality of teachers; so that is exactly what we are doing”, he stressed.
At the opening ceremony last Monday, the deputy director general at the National Sports Authority, Mr Saka Acquaye, lauded the leadership of the GSA for initiating the programme which, he said, would go a long way to help the coaches and their swimmers excel at the upcoming African Junior Championship slated for Cairo in March.
Narrating his experiences as a former swimmer, Mr Aquaye said the current crop of coaches and athletes were fortunate to have a leadership that goes the extra mile to organise such events to help them excel in their chosen profession.
“You cannot produce champions if you don’t prepare for it. There is the need for you to also make sacrifices because some people have sacrificed to bring this program to you. I urge you to take this course as your preparations towards the upcoming Junior Championship to be held in Cairo”, he advised participants.
Mr Acquaye was, however, worried about the lack of swimming facilities in the country and called on the incoming Minister of Youth and Sports, Mr Isaac Asiamah to take a second look at the issue of developing sporting facilities in the country.
The participants, who were drawn from various swimming teams and clubs from the regions such as GH Dolphins, Legon Swim Team, Great White Sharks, Anopafins, Streamline Aquatics and LCS were schooled on 14 general tips that apply to strokes in swimming on the first day.
Officials of the swimming association, who graced the opening ceremony, included Mr Theophilus Wilson Edzie (President), Mr Seth Nti (General Secretary) and Miss Farida Iddis (Treasurer).
