The First FINA World Swimming Coaches Conference gets underway in Singapore on Thursday with a three-day agenda packed with interesting topics. The fast suits and what to do about them is not part of the agenda set some way back but leading coaches will have a pow-wow with FINA's leading lights, SwimNews understands, in readiness for the February 20 meeting in Lausanne that will decide the future direction of the sport.
SwimNews understands that FINA, led by Executive Director Cornel Marculescu, is keen to tackle the issues raised by US proposals, ASCA members and the submission of coaches at the European s/c Championships in Rijeka last month. Discussion will take place in a spirit of cooperation and, after months of debate, deeper understanding of the issues that swimming needs to resolve in the interests of its long-term survival as a world-class sport and not a circus or freak show in which natural talent, physiology and morphology and the smart and hard work that hones of all of those elements play second fiddle to suit technology.
Also on the agenda in Singapore is the thorny issue of the calendar. SwimNews understands that FINA is keen to find a permanent northern winter home for its short-course showcase. Suggestions are for December or January. The December option would require the cooperation of LEN, the European body that plays a significant role in the running of FINA: the plan may work only if the annual European s/c Championships moved to a two-yearly cycle.
Given that FINA's plans include some exciting new features for the international race circuit, with more prize money in the pipeline and dependent on negotiations with partners and potential sponsors (no, they're not all suit makers), LEN may wish to make way in the December slot in return for FINA's blessing to run swimming's answer to the Ryder Cup: USA V Europe in the race pool. Enthusiastic support for such an event can be found on both sides of the pond - and negotiations continued at meetings in the last two months of 2008.
In Singapore, coaches will be given useful insight into how preparations are going for world championships to be held in Rome 2009, Dubai 2010 and Shanghai 2011. There will updates on doping legislation, information on Olympic and television opportunities for FINA sports, and Cornel Marculescu, FINA Executive Director will talk coaches through FINA's strategic plan for 2009 to 2013.
The conference gets underway with an overview by John Leonard, executive director of ASCA and member of the FINA coaches commission, on Thursday afternoon.
Take a look at the treats in store for those lucky enough to have made in to Singapore:
- Rohan Taylor will lecture on taking on an established star called Leisel Jones and helping her to win that all-elusive Olympic gold medal
- Brett Hawke will talk on preparing Olympic champion Cesar Cielo for success in Beijing
- Jack Simon will lecture on building a base for strong team development
- Norimasa Harai will reveal the work and approach that went into making Kosuke Kitajima the most successful breaststroke swimmer in history
- John Leonard will conduct a live interview with Mark Schubert and Alan Thompson, head coaches to the aquatic superpowers
- Bill Sweetenham, back Down Under after seven years in Britain and now helping his own nation prepare for London 2012, talks on how "failing to plan is planning to fail"
- Michael Bohl unlocks the secrets of how he helped to guide Stephanie Rice to the status of triple Olympic gold medal winner
Not sure if anyone has plans to release the lectures in printed form - but the knowledge imparted in Singapore would clearly be most valuable to the wider audience that cannot be there to listen live.
