Fifty classifiers and coaches from 12 Asian countries will take part in the Para Athletics & Para Swimming Sport Technical Courses: Agitos Foundation Sessions, which will be held in Singapore from 25-27 November and 5-7 December.
Throughout the workshops, participants from Brunei, Cambodia, Hong Kong, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand and hosts Singapore will have the chance to enhance their skills and knowledge.
Three courses will happen simultaneously from 25-27 November: Introduction to Para Swimming Coaching, World Para Swimming Level 2 Classifier Course and World Para Athletics Level 2 Classifier Course. The Introduction to Para Athletics Coaching course will take place from 5-7 December. All courses are delivered by the Agitos Foundation in partnership with Sport Singapore (SportSG) and the Singapore National Paralympic Council.
These are the first workshops in the region funded by the National Paralympic Committee (NPC) Development Programme, which aims to build capacity within NPCs around the world. Supported by the IPC’s Worldwide partnership with Toyota, the programme will run until 2024 and will reach over 140 countries, aiming to strengthen the capacity of NPCs and create a sustainable impact on the growth of the Paralympic Movement.
Kevin Wong, chairman of the Singapore National Paralympic Council, said: “These workshops play an integral role in the enhancement and strengthening of required sports technical skills and knowledge, and to equip representatives with the necessary experiences to contribute in an impactful way to the development of para sports back in their respective countries and to the region as a whole.”
In November 2016 Sport Singapore (SportSG) and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) have announced a partnership aimed to boost the capabilities and the professionalism of Para sport in Singapore and the region and, since then, both organisations have been working to deliver courses and create awareness for the Paralympic Movement and National Paralympic Committee (NPC) management programmes.
Kim Por Kerk, Director of SportCares, Sport Singapore, said: “In the past year, 95 coaches had participated in the IPC’s Introduction to Para Sports Coaching programme, taking an important step towards gaining the necessary skills and knowledge to conduct sport programmes for people with disabilities. The awareness of para sport is growing in Singapore with many public sports facilities and programmes becoming increasingly friendly for persons with varied abilities to exercise and play sport.
“At SportSG, we are committed to ensuring that there are opportunities for people to pick up sport, no matter the ability. We look forward to continue working with IPC and Agitos Foundation to create meaningful programmes and host courses on their behalf for Singapore and Southeast Asian countries.”
