Series of swimming training courses to end 2015

IPC Swimming will hold a series of training and education courses in the last two months of 2015, to refresh existing knowledge amongst technical officials and classifiers and train new recruits.

Beginning on 27-29 November, a classification course will run in conjunction with the 8th ASEAN Para Games 2015 in Singapore with the aim of training seven new international classifiers from Singapore, Thailand, South Africa, the Netherlands, Canada and Japan.

Successful participants will progress to stage three, the trainee level, and will complete their first practical during classification between 30 December – 2 November and then observation in competition between 4-6 December. The trainees will then be able to assist in international classification until they become fully certified as an International Classifier.

Alongside the classification training, IPC Swimming will also hold training for technical officials at the ASEAN Games in December. A two day theory course will be followed by an assessment during competition where participants from Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Iran and Japan will aim to become certified as International Technical Officials (ITOs).

Later on in December, National Technical Officials (NTOs) from the USA and Canada wishing to progress to international level will be offered a training course in conjunction with the Can Am Open Championships in Bismarck, USA, from 8-12 December.

Once again a two day theory course will be followed by a practical assessment during competition and will see 12 NTOs going for their international stripes, as well recertifying existing IITOs.

Running alongside both training opportunities in Singapore and the USA will be an IPC Swimming educator course, in partnership with the World Academy of Sport.

By having more certified IPC Swimming educators around the world the sport will be able to expand its ability to offer ITO and classification training courses. Those who pass the course will go onto deliver training like that taking place in November and December on behalf of IPC Swimming.

This will help the sport to grow its pool of experienced ITOs and international classifiers, helping it to grow both on a national and international level.

In Bismarck, six participants from Canada, USA, Argentina, Brazil and Great Britain will take part in the ITO educator course and in Singapore, seven trainees from Greece, Hungary, Japan, Finland, Israel, Argentina and Thailand will participate in the classifier educator course.