World Triathlon and the Saudi
Triathlon Federation have organized the first-ever Para triathlon coaches’
certification and development camp in the region, a camp hosted for three days
in Al Khobar (Saudi Arabia) and with participants from six countries.
Since World Triathlon hosted a World
Triathlon Championship Series event in Abu Dhabi for the first time in 2015,
there has been a parallel interest to offer opportunities to grow para
triathlon and develop athletes from this region. With Abu Dhabi also hosting
the 2021 and 2022 Para Triathlon World Championships, the interest from
National federations in the West and Central Asia region grew to a point in
which both World Triathlon and the Saudi Triathlon federation decided to boost
this interest and organize a course and camp with the aim of growing para
triathlon in the region.
This Para triathlon coaches
certification course has offered the opportunity to countries in the West and
Central Asia regions to send participants who wanted to get a certification in
para triathlon coaching, as well as for athletes to go through practical
sessions to improve training techniques, learn about equipment, classification
and how to get involved in international competition.
For three days, athletes and coaches
from Lebanon, Kuwait, Jordan, Kyrgyzstan, UAE and Saudi Arabia have shared best
practices, coaching techniques and discussed how to promote and offer
engagement in their regions, with the goal set on increasing the number of
countries practicing Para triathlon.
World Triathlon would like to thank
the Saudi Federation for their incredible support and assistance for this event
as well as the International Paralympic Committee for the grant they provided
to have financial viability.
“We are absolutely delighted with this
event, it proves the potential of para triathlon to grow in our region. Our
National Federation is committed to providing para triathletes and coaches more
opportunities, with the long-term goal of having athletes representing our
country at the Paralympic Games, and the support of the community has been
outstanding. We at the Saudi Triathlon Federation are looking forward to
continuing our growth, organizing more events, and supporting athletes and
coaches in their careers”, said Ali Magboul, President of the Saudi Federation.
“I want to thank the Saudi Federation
for their commitment and support for this initiative, the first one we’ve ever
done in this area, but surely one that will be a reference in the future. It is
key for us to support and grow our sport in regions where para triathlon is not
yet so big. This camp has been the first of its kind, but I am sure that this
will be a path to follow”, said World Triathlon President and IOC member,
Marisol Casado.
“It is a pleasure and an honor to
have been part of the first Para triathlon education course for coaches here in
Saudi Arabia”, said French Para triathlete Yannick Bourseaux who was one of the
facilitators. “This is a great opportunity for the country to be aware of the
development of para triathlon. I hope these activities will increase the
visibility of sport all around the world and we will have more para triathletes
at our events”, he said. The other facilitator Neil Macleod, was very pleased
to be part of history with the first course for coaches in para triathlon and
believes this will be a seed for the growth of the sport in the region and
hoped the participants’ expectations were met and to continue contributing to
expand para triathlon.”
“I am so glad to have participated in
this camp, it is a completely new experience for me”, said Lebanese attendee
Ramona Khalifa. “It is great to see how they do things differently in other
countries and learn from that”, she said.
The feeling was shared by PTWC para
triathlete from the UAE Abdulla Alghafri. “I have learned many things, how can
I improve as an athlete or be a coach in the future for the next generation of
athletes, to try to develop other athletes in my country”, he explained.
Young athlete Raneem Alfaraidy from
Dammam (KSA) said she never thought she could participate in a triathlon but
after these sessions, she realized that one day she may be able to do so.
ABOUT WORLD TRIATHLON
World Triathlon is the international
governing body for the Olympic and Paralympic sport of triathlon and all
related multisport disciplines around the world, including duathlon, aquathlon,
cross triathlon and winter triathlon. Triathlon made its Olympic debut in
Sydney 2000, with a third medal event, the Mixed Team Relay, added to the
programme at Tokyo 2020, while para triathlon was first added to the Paralympic
programme at Rio 2016. World Triathlon is proudly committed to the development
of the sport worldwide, with inclusion, equality, sustainability and
transparency at our core as we seek to help triathletes at all levels of the
sport to be extraordinary.
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