"I will ensure coaches have more opportunities to learn" says Bubka

Sergey Bubka, IAAF Vice President and IOC Executive Board member, has pledged to develop training programs, which will bring athletics coaches to the new level if he is elected IAAF President later this month.

Bubka, who today launched a Master's Degree Program "Coaching in Olympic Sports" at Ukraine’s leading sports university, is convinced that increased opportunities for coaches to study will raise standards in athletics and benefit the sport from grassroots to elite level.

The Master’s Degree Program was introduced at the National University of Physical Education and Sport in Kyiv, Ukraine, with support of Ukraine National Olympic Committee and the International Center for Olympic Study and Olympic Education.

The Program features 12 in-depth courses covering all specialist aspects of athletes’ preparation. The Program is one academic year long and is carried out online with the exception of intro and final sessions, each one month long.

Bubka has committed to delivering lectures during the Program, along with renowned sport scientists Volodymyr Platonov, Maria Bulatova, Ron J. Maughan and Mike Gleeson.

Bubka said: "The science of sport advances constantly and we must work hard to improve the process of exchange of coaches’ knowledge and experience, as well improve the education system within sport, both for coaches and administrative staff. New technologies make the process of training much easier, and I urge in my "Taking Athletics to the Next Heights’ Program to launch and develop the system of online education for coaches, as well as for the athletes and staff.

"Coaches’ education should be the priority for all international sports federations, and the IAAF will be in the forefront of this initiative if I am elected as IAAF president.

"As a Chair of the IOC Entourage Commission I know that it is imperative that coaches have a modern scientific background to support their practical knowledge, which becomes more and more important every year. I also have positive experience of the improvement of coaches’ education within Ukraine NOC where the Commission for coaches’ skills development is chaired by Mr Platonov is working actively and special grants are provided for coaches to attend advanced training courses".

Bubka believes that international sports federations should initiate coaches’ educational programs at universities worldwide. He added: "If I am elected as IAAF President, I will raise athletics coaches’ education to a new level. We will cooperate with sports universities all over the globe to arrange new programs as a part of the IAAF development policy. We will also provide special grants for Area Associations and National Federations, as well as Regional Development Centers for coaches’ applications for the Masters’ Degree."

Sergey Bubka is a candidate for the Presidency of the IAAF, and the election will be held in August 2015 during the IAAF Congress in Beijing, China.

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