British Para-Swimming began their search for world class coaches at the end of 2013 and have today announced ten coaches that have been selected to work with the team in the lead up to Rio 2016.
The list includes British National Coaches Rob Aubry and Graeme Smith alongside coaches with major Games experience including Mark Rose, Louise Graham, Billy Pye and Glenn Smith. They will be joined by Dave Evitts, Steve Bayley, Danny Thompson and Gary Rogers who coach some of the top names in the sport in their home programmes.
"We were overwhelmed by the number, quality and calibre of coaches who applied" - Rob Greenwood, Head Coach
Swimming is the biggest sport at the Paralympic Games and sees over 600 swimmers compete for the 152 gold medal opportunities.
At London 2012, ParalympicsGB’s 44 swimmers won 39 medals and finished seventh in the medal table and initiatives like this one will see greater consistency for the team as they aim to increase their medal haul in Rio in 2016.
Head Coach Rob Greenwood is excited by the programme and believes it will allow coaches to learn from each other in a close-knit team.
“It was our intention at British Para-Swimming to put together a bespoke coach education package for coaches who are engaged with the programme and are committed to their own development,” Greenwood said. “We opened this up to all current British coaches and were overwhelmed by the number, quality and calibre of coaches who applied.
“This year’s cohort consists of a wide range of experiences, which I feel will challenge and learn a great deal from each other.
“The Coach to Rio programme is running alongside UK Sport’s para-coaching hub in Manchester with other sports such as Para-Cycling, Para-Rowing and triathlon. With three to four workshops a year and other development opportunities included this is a great way for British coaches to add to their skill set and for us at British Para-Swimming to have the best coaches on deck in Rio 2016.”