LAUSANNE – James Gibson MBE OLY has been appointed to advise and execute a comprehensive coaching strategy for World Aquatics’ Development Centres and National Federations around the world.
Following an illustrious competitive career swimming for Great Britain where he won the World Aquatics Championships, European and Commonwealth Games, Gibson successfully moved into the coaching ranks where he has worked with some of the all-time swimming greats like Sarah Sjostrom, Chad le Clos , Florent Manaudou and most recently Ben Proud.
Known for his meticulously studious approach to sport and finding the right fit and training plan for each athlete, James Gibson will work with World Aquatics Development Centres to enhance universal coaching standards and provide on-site coaching, guidance and educational support for coaches throughout all centres. He will also work closely with national federations as they seek to ensure their coaches are best equipped to provide aquatics athletes with the means to succeed.
The appointment will see Gibson collaborate with development centres to create a unified coaching framework across all facilities, ensuring that all World Aquatics scholarship holders benefit from a world-class coaching programme regardless of their training base. Moreover, Gibson will also be responsible for working with the World Aquatics Development Unit to implement a strategy for the World Aquatics Coaches Certification Programme and play an important ambassadorial role at World Aquatics events.
"James is one of the most respected swimming coaches in the world," said World Aquatics Executive Director Brent Nowicki. "National teams, and specifically national team coaches, will have the opportunity to benefit from his decades of experience. We are delighted to have him on board at a time when World Aquatics is committed to providing better opportunities than ever before for athletes."
"I am really looking forward to joining World Aquatics during such an exciting time for the sport," said James Gibson. "There’s a huge amount of talent to work with, both from a coaching and athlete perspective. All my efforts will be on improving coaching standards and culture globally, ensuring that all coaches have the best possible tools and techniques available. Ultimately, our goal is to empower more athletes around the world to reach their full potential."