Last month’s Olympic Solidarity Coaches Education in Sierra Leone was a five-day entry-level course that took place in Port Loko in the north west of the country, and attended by 16 candidates for Level One certification from across the country.

There was also an opportunity to discuss aspects of event organisation, as Sierra Leone had just held its duathlon national championships and many had taken part either as athletes or spectators the day before the start of the course.

Facilitators, Istvan Jankov (HUN) and Mahdi Mnif (TUN) worked to help all candidates with their progress on the World Triathlon Education & Knowledge Hub and participants were awarded World Triathlon Activator Certificates ahead of earning their Level 1 recognition.

“The coaches were motivated and eager to learn about triathlon, so it was a great learning experience for everyone. We are eager to see them transforming their knowledge into practice,” said Mahdi Mnif.

The Level One qualification has been designed to provide an introduction to coaching triathlon, showing candidates the core principles and practices of safe and ethical coaching to youth, junior and adult recreational participant groups. The activities provided through the intense five days will equip the attendees with the necessary skills and resources to start coaching straight away.