Congratulations to all ICECP Coaches Cohort who recently graduated from the Fourteenth Edition of the ICECP at the Olympic House in Lausanne, Switzerland in April 2024, during which IOC President Bach presented their Certificates.
The International Coaching Enrichment Certification Program (ICECP), a joint endeavor between the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) under the guidance of Abigail Tompkins and the University of Delaware with Matt Robinson and funded by Olympic Solidarity continues to unite and inspire a global network of high performing coaches.
Perhaps the most unique part of the program is the challenge for coaches to do something tangible with their learning and undertake a work-based development project. Projects vary from participation initiatives, talent recruitment and development to coach education including athlete-to-coach transition programs, elite athlete development and research projects. Coaches successfully completing the program are invited to present on their work at the Olympic House in Switzerland.
This year I was thrilled to support Hua Tang from China (Tennis), Nurbeck Kalykov from Kyrg (Volleyball) and of course, the women coaches Das Nibedita from Bangladesh (Swimming), Orawan Lamangtong from Thailand (Tennis) and Ivana Petkovic from Serbia (Track and Field). Congratulations to all of them!
Over the fourteen iterations of the program, the ICECP has evolved. The most recent evolution has seen the integration of a Coaching into Leadership Professional Development workshop in the final module of the program in Lausanne. This year the two-day event was housed as the stunning Movenpick Hotel on the banks of Lake Geneva.
Alongside the tutoring team of colleagues Mat Robinson, Freda Patterson, Mellissa Gordon, Ian Barker, Peter Davis, TJ Buchanan, Tracey Lamb, Randy Wilbour and Jocep Escoda I was thrilled to support the design and delivery of this years program which encouraged coaches to:
Reflect on their ICECP learning experience
Explore their own philosophy, values, and capabilities and how these have evolved
Consider how they can be 'professionally selfish' and prioritize coach wellbeing and employ coach selfceare
Understand how power and politics play out in sports management leadership
Consider if and how they will continue to drive the change they have started to create in their own countries.
The most defining moment of the Coaching into Leadership workshop was the coach's commitment to continue to impact sports policy, programs and people. Captured on a sticky note these are the goals that ICECP coaches will make a reality.
The final phase of the workshop introduced coaches to the GROW model which they utilized in pairs to help one another explore how they can transition their sticky-note commitment into reality.
