Nineteen emerging aquatic leaders from across Asia came together in Bhubaneswar, India, as World Aquatics launched its first Discover Water Country Leads Training Course in the region. Hosted in partnership with the Inspire Institute of Sport (IIS), the programme aims to build national capacity in aquatic education, participation and water-safety leadership.
The Discover Water Programme, a global World Aquatics initiative launched in 2024, aims to provide young children around the world with the necessary education and skills to enjoy aquatic sports safely. The Bhubaneswar training marked the second of five continental courses planned worldwide, following the inaugural edition held earlier this year in Malawi.
Participants from 13 Asian nations, including Sri Lanka, Maldives, Malaysia, Bhutan, Brunei, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Chinese Taipei, Mongolia, Lebanon, Iran, Qatar and India, took part in the six-day course. Four Odisha-based grassroots coaches also joined, reflecting the state’s growing investment in aquatics development in the region.
The opening ceremony welcomed Dr Yeddula Vijay, IAS Director (Sports) at the Department of Sports & Youth Services of the Government of Odisha, as Chief Guest. He was joined by Mr Douglas Eagar, Technical Director of Swimming at IIS, programme lecturers Vivienne Holt and Nari Shin, and World Aquatics Development Coordinator William Salvi.
In his welcome address, Eagar expressed his pleasure about hosting the international training course:
“It is a real pleasure to be working alongside World Aquatics to help deliver the Discover Water programme here in Asia,”. “Through collaboration and education, the aim is to create a lasting impact on how communities engage with water and aquatic activities in the region.”
Dr Vijay emphasised the importance of Odisha’s collaborative approach to sports development:
“Odisha has always believed in the power of partnerships to elevate sports at every level. Hosting a programme of such international significance reflects our commitment to building a strong foundation for aquatic sports, where education, participation and safety go hand in hand.”
Throughout the course, participants engaged in workshops and practical sessions grounded in the Discover Water concept delivery - designing child-centred lesson plans, applying physical-literacy principles, strengthening leadership approaches and shaping community-focused water-safety initiatives. A highlight of the week was a practical activity day with 50 local children, which included a river clean-up and introductory water-safety sessions, allowing trainees to apply their learning directly in the community.
For many participants, the experience marked an essential step toward strengthening aquatic education at home. Maral from Mongolia shared:
“As the youngest participant, I learned a lot from this training. It was also a challenging course with deep content, and I am very much looking forward to bringing this knowledge to my country especially in the countryside provinces. This is the place where most drownings happen in my country and I would like to implement the concept in the lakes and rivers, where the danger happens. I learned a lot also about training conduction, I loved the engagement Viv was putting in the learning via the groupworks, the energisers and the games. It is an excellent way of teaching.”
Liza from Indonesia highlighted how the programme reframed aspects of her coaching practice:
“I was amazed to realise that while we were including some physical literacy concepts in our learn to swim programmes, we were doing it without realising. This course will help a lot to add different adjustments and make our programme more holistic, and more importantly to document why we are using physical literacy. This documentation will help in spreading the Discover Water concept and help our educators.”
World Aquatics Development Coordinator William Salvi underlined the long-term goal of the initiative:
“The Discover Water Programme is designed to create a foundation for life-long engagement with aquatic activities,” he said. “By empowering local leaders through education and collaboration, we aim to make aquatic participation safer, more inclusive and more accessible across communities in Asia.”
The learnings from the Discover Water programme will once again be in action throughout 2026, when a training course will be held in the Americas, Oceania and Europe, as World Aquatics and the global aquatics community work to promote water safety and reduce the risk of drowning.
If you would like to hear more about the Discover Water programme, please contact World Aquatics Development Coordinator William Salvi at william.salvi@worldaquatics.com.