(Local Sport)
By: Mohamed Abu Conteh
Sierra Leone Aquatics Association in collaboration with Learning Carriage has commenced three days of training for Athletes and Staff of the institution to train them in Effective Communications and public speaking at the Sierra Leone Police field in Kingtom.
The training is for 14 athletes and five officials making it 18 participants set to benefit from the three days of effective Communication training by the CEO of Learning Carriage Consultancy.
Abdul Turay the Secretary-General of the Sierra Leone Aquatics Association said the three-day of training is to train the athletes and Staff of the Federation on how to approach the media, noting that it is basically for the athletes to know what to say and what not to say to the media, and how to approach the media when it’s come to International best practices.
He affirmed that the essence of the training is mainly geared toward putting the athletes to meet International standards because as a Federation they are mostly competing in International Competitions and most of the time they are facing Journalists who may want to do doorstepping interviews and sometimes athletes are shy to take the interviews but with this training they will be well prepared now to face the Media at any time, noting that the Effective Communication training will last three days and 21st June is going to be the last day of intensive training.
He further that, as a Federation, they are constraints with training facilities for the athlete, this all boils down to the current renovation work that is currently ongoing at the Siaka Stevens Stadium has affected them seriously because the Siaka Stevens Stadium is the only place that reaches the Olympic Standard, but as it stands unless they have to go to the beach. He said their athlete’s normally go to the waters to train, adding that unless they have to use another mini pool which they have to rent using the little fund from the Association’s budget and that again can affect greatly the operations of the Sierra Leone Aquatics Federation.
Abdul Turay said they as a Federation will be always ready to build the Capacity of the athletes as the Sport, they are doing is not only about competing Internationally but is good for the athletes to be knowledge-empowered at all times.
Alie Sonta Kamara the Executive director of Learning Carriage Centre, also doubles as the Sports editor of Standard Times Newspaper said the training is very much important for the athletes because sometimes when these athletes depart for international trips they are mostly constraints, noting that the three days training is centre around effective Communication, what athletes should post on Social Media, how athletes should value the media and how athletes should make Journalists as friends when they are on duty doing their Sports.
He further that, day two of the training covered Language Awareness, the do and don’t of the media, and how athletes communicate with the media, noting that the athletes see the training as a blessing because it never has happened in the history of Sierra Leone and Africa, he thanked the Sierra Leone Aquatics Federation for their tremendous job building the athletes Capacity as their President Mr Mohamed Abdul Turay always want to leave as an example within the Sporting Federations in the Country.
He affirmed that one of what they learned in the training has to do with fact-gathering and early preparations, noting that as an athlete first you should be able to gather enough facts about their self they should be able to predict what Journalists want to ask the athlete, they should be able to prepare for the tournament and after the tournament, as an athlete should prepare for profiling and doorstep interviews the technics involve, they were also learned how to handle turf questions and to prepare for those questions, in all of it the athletes are happy about those areas because it helps them greatly.
The Learning Carriage Consultancy Director said the athletes also learned how to share their personal information, the ones they should not with Journalists, the ones should share, their health conditions they should not with Journalists, their lifestyle, and they should not involve in Politics. He called other on other Associations to emulate what Sierra Leone Aquatics Federations has done to empower their Coaches ahead of international competitions.
Sierra Leone Aquatics Federations is among the five Sporting disciplines that have brought laurels to the country.
