The International Coaching Enrichment Certificate Program (ICECP) honored its fifteenth class at a ceremony held at the International Olympic Committee headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland in April.
A joint program of the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC), the University of Delaware (UD), and Olympic Solidarity, the ICECP provides national-level coaches with enhanced coaching and leadership skills and the latest coaching principles.
“Fifteen years ago we launched the ICECP with the dual goals of growing sport and making the world a better place one coach at a time,” said Matthew Robinson, UD professor of Sport Management and director of the ICECP.
Program modules primarily take place online, followed by on-site instruction and one-on-one sessions with tutors on UD’s Newark campus. The tutors, drawn from UD faculty and international coaching experts, help advance each coach’s proposed project.
“Having direct access to such dedicated mentors and world-class teachers who supported us in bringing our projects to life was an incredible privilege,” said Claudia Beristain de Rivera, triathlon coach from Mexico.
Each coach apprentices at a site in the United States. Past sites include the USOPC training center in Colorado Springs, Colorado and the Chula Vista Elite Athlete Training Center in Chula Vista, California.
Matt Robinson presents a proclamation from the Governor of Delaware to Thomas Bach, president of the International Olympic Committee. Photo by Christophe Moratal
The program culminates in Lausanne, where coaches share their projects with their respective International Sports Federations before receiving their diplomas from International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach.
“This year’s class has exceeded all expectations in the impact they have made in their countries through their projects,” said Robinson, “and shown that they have the potential to be difference makers in sport in their countries and to make contributions to the Olympic Movement.”
Among the cohort’s 30 coaches—representing 29 nations and 15 sports—were two Olympic athletes turned coaches, 2020 bronze medalist Kaleigh Rafter, Canada (softball, 2008 and 2020) and Chiang Wai Hung, Hong Kong (athletics, 100m and 4x100m, 2000 and 2004).
“I believe at the heart of every coach is a passion for their sport and a desire to give back to their communities,” said Rafter. “[The ICECP] helped us to direct our passion to something tangible and long lasting.”
To date, the ICECP has reached a total of 491 participants from 130 nations and 42 sports since its inception in 2008.
“[The ICECP] continues to deliver on its promise of connecting coaches from around the world with world class leadership and training to support sport development in their home nations,” said USOPC CEO Sarah Hirshland.