The new World Aquatics Training
Centre will prepare swimmers for the Paris Olympics and beyond
With the objective to prepare
international athletes from the World Aquatics Scholarship Programme for major
global competitions, World Aquatics announces an agreement with the Fédération
Française de Natation (FFN) and the Cercle des Nageurs d'Antibes (CN Antibes)
to open the federation’s latest World Aquatics Training Centre.
The partnership will enable World
Aquatics Scholarship Programme athletes from developing nations to train at the
CN Antibes venue in Antibes in France’s Côte d’Azur region.
CN d’Antibes becomes France’s first
World Aquatics Training Centre as the scholarship athletes will be mentored by
CN Antibes Executive Director Frédéric Vergnoux who has a track record of
coaching swimmers to World and Olympic medals. Created in 2014 with the aim of
raising the level of athletes worldwide, the World Aquatics Scholarship Program
is in its 10th season - an edition with unprecedented ambition.
Selected athletes benefit from a
one-year program, in an environment conducive to reaching their full potential
for optimal preparation for the World Aquatics Championships – Doha 2024 and
the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
The program targets athletes who have
shown strong international potential in competitions such as the World Aquatics
Championships, World Aquatics Swimming Championships (25m), and previous
Olympic Games. The program offers financial support and expert technical
knowledge to athletes who lack sufficient conditions to train in their home
country.
World Aquatics President Husain
Al-Musallam expressed his delight in establishing a World Aquatics Training
Centre in France.
"I am thrilled about our
collaboration with CN Antibes, marking a significant milestone for aquatics.
With an exceptional team of coaches, talented athletes, and top-notch
facilities, France boasts a rich history in aquatics, especially in swimming,”
said the World Aquatics President. “The establishment of our Training Centre in
Antibes brings me immense joy. As we gear up for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games,
I believe this centre will serve as a powerful source of inspiration for the
aspiring athletes currently honing their skills at our latest Training Centre.”
About Le Centre International
d’Antibes
The new international Training Centre
was an obvious choice for Antibes, France, as the CN Antibes is renowned for
its high-quality infrastructure, provided by the town of Antibes, its close
links with the CREPS d'Antibes and the recent appointment of Frédéric Vergnoux
as the club's Executive Director.
Vergnoux, a 5-time Olympic coach,
brings to the NAC and the international project his expertise based on his work
in seven different countries. Swimmers under Vergnoux’s tutelage have broken
288 national records to date, as well as winning medals at the Olympic Games,
World Aquatics Championships, and the European Aquatics Championships. Voted best coach in the world in 2014,
national coach of the British, Spanish, and Belgian Olympic teams, Frédéric
Vergnoux has coached 32 swimmers to the Olympic Games.
Vergnoux will be directly responsible
for the overall preparation of swimmers in the Elite International, Elite, and
Elite Para groups. He is supported by Quentin Coton for the Elite group, and
Régis Gautier for the Elite Para group.
The CN Antibes Elite International
group has grown to include the 12 international athletes from the World
Aquatics Scholarship Programme who are currently training in Antibes.
“It’s an honour to be coming back
home, as they say, and in particular to a club with such a long tradition as CN
Antibes,” said Vergnoux. “My duties will be multiple, between managing the club
and training the World Aquatics group, but I’ll be supported by a competent and
motivated staff, in an ideal working structure. It’s a unique challenge in
French swimming, and I’m proud to be able to work within a club and in close
collaboration with the FFN and World Aquatics. We’ve been at work for over a
month now, and for me this will always be the only explanation for our future
success.”
CN Antibes President Laurent Ciubini
noted what the appointment of Vergnoux as Executive Director and the club
becoming a World Aquatics Training Centre means to the club’s future success.
"Co-development has always been
in my DNA and this fits in perfectly with Antibes and the Côte d'Azur, where
the whole world meets or dreams of meeting. The arrival of Fred Vergnoux and
the creation of this International Centre will undoubtedly contribute to
enabling club and international athletes to train and progress within the CN
Antibes."
Added FFN President Gilles Sezionale:
"After the successful experiences of bringing knowledge to various Francophone
countries, France is taking a new step in its contribution to world swimming
with the creation of this centre."
More about the Cercle des Nageurs
D’Antibes (CN Antibes)
Founded in 1965, the Cercle des
Nageurs d'Antibes is one of France's most awarded swimming clubs: 16 Olympic
medals, 9 World Championship medals, 200 French championship titles, 7 European
championship titles, 3 European records and 10 World Records.
A training club, a club of
excellence, and an accession and training Centre, CN Antibes has become a key
player in swimming in France and worldwide, opening the first World Aquatics
Training Centre in France in conjunction with World Aquatics for its
Scholarship Programme. From apprenticeship to international elite, the CN
Antibes covers all fields of aquatic sports to the delight of its 1,200
members.
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