SCA anxious of spreading swimming throughout Sri Lanka

The Swimming Coaches Association (SCA) is an organisation committed to improve the level of swimming throughout the country. It is a registered body under the Ministry of Sports, Western Province. For an island nation with many rivers, waterfalls and large reservoirs swimming is a vital skill.

Indeed, number of deaths due to drowning is quite great and most would have been prevented if the victims had developed some simple skills and had knowledge on water safety. In fact there are many who go down to have a bath in a river or sea never return.

Water accidents are a potential occupational hazard for many who are engaged in fishing, boat riding, sand mining and transportation across water and irrigation constructions. Ideally each one of them should have a proper training in aquatic skills before they embark on such activities. On the other hand, swimming is one of the best forms of exercise.

The buoyancy of water provides a gentle environment, free from the stresses of land based exercises. Therefore, it is a perfect physical activity for the elderly, overweight, pregnant, injured or even disabled individuals to participate in.

Swimming improves the general fitness in the community while it reduces the morbidity of many life threatening illness which include ischemic heart disease, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, lipid disorders and lung diseases. Thus it reduces expenditure to the government and the money saved could be utilised in other areas of public health.

The Swimming Coaches Association (SCA) has a number of initiatives in the planning stages; broadly speaking the aims are:

a) To train teachers and coaches in swimming with a fully certified course in up to date methodology, scientific and teaching information.

b) Develop programmes for all ages and abilities over a wide cross section of the community and importantly, to make them available in remote or poor areas.

To educate the public at large about water safety, survival and the benefits of learning to swim and thereby reduce the incidence of aquatic fatalities and injuries.

To improve the overall level of swimming in the country.

The 2nd Level One Swimming Instructors (Advance) Course to be held on 17th, 18th and 19th December 2012. The SCA invites all interested in promoting swimming to send the swimming instructors, teachers and coaches to participate in the program in order to promote swimming.

All those interested in following the Swimming Coaches Advanced Course should contact Dilshani de Silva, Secretary, Swimming Coaches Association of Sri Lanka. Tel: 0114273180.