July 2, 2015 By Sahr Morris Jr.
The Sierra Leone Athletics Association (SLAA) will be represented at the forthcoming International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) World Youth Coaches Forum in Cali, Colombia on July 20 this year.
The one-day event, which will be held at the Escuela Nacional del Deporte in Cali, will bring together coaches from approximately 150 national associations.
President of SLAA, Abdul Karim Sesay, confirmed the country’s participation whilst the association’s Public Relations Officer, Abu Bakarr ‘Sparky’ Barakah, revealed that coach Joseph Amara of Kenema will be Sierra Leone’s representative at the forum.
The forum will be opened by the IAAF President Lamine Diack and will feature six experts from around the world who will be discussing topics of interest in this category of the coaching profession.
The speakers will include: IAAF Director of Development & Member Relations, Malek El-Hebil; Dr. Cristina Fink (USA); Duany Lebeque Ubaldy (CUB); Dr. Wolfgang Killing-Muhlinghaus (GER); Dr. Randall L. Wilber (USA); and Prof. Dr. Dietmar Schmidtbleicher (GER).
According to the IAAF, the conference will be the latest in a series of coaching seminars promoted and organised by the Federation as part of its commitment to the development of the sport.
The forum follows the footsteps of the successful 1st IAAF World Junior Coaches Conference held in Eugene, USA, after the conclusion of the 2014 IAAF World Junior Championships there; and also the 2nd IAAF World Coaches Conference held in Moscow in August 2013 after the last IAAF World Championships.