Three-time open water swimming champion Leonie Beck was in Malawi to train future water safety leaders.
The world champion was joined by World Aquatics Discover Water country lead persons from 15 African nations at the six-day course along Lake Malawi.
The training comes amid rising calls to combat drowning fuelled by scanty swimming skills and water activities with limited safety measures.
Launched on World Drowning Day ahead of the Olympic Games Paris in 2024, the interactive course equipped the national leads with the skills for developing a structured curriculum and training local educators.
The programme targets children to safely embrace aquatics sports and learn vital skills in an engaging manner.
The country leads, nominated by their national federations, conducted practical sessions, with 50 children aged six and 12 learning about water safety, the environment and the Olympics values.
Beck says developing aquatic literacy at an early age can have a life-changing and life-saving impact.
“I think it is very important that everyone has the chance to learn swimming. This is such a great sport. It gives you so many skills you can have for the rest of your life, so it is always nice to participate,” Beck said.
The world champion sounds determined to use her platform and fame to give back to the global aquatics community while making an impact on young people.
Beck delivered the course alongside other experts such as Viv Holt and Sven Spannekrebs.
The Discover Water programme teaches children to swim and how to act in different water bodies.
“The conditions are completely different if you are in a pool, the sea a lake or a river,” Beck said. “It is really important that the children understand that nature can act in a way you do not expect and it can be really dangerous if you do not learn how to act with the current or waves, for example.
She reckons everyone has the possibility to learn swimming in a fun way.
“And it is one of the most important things to prevent drowning,” Beck states.
Country leads from across the continent exchanged knowledge with their peers while learning as a group.
“It was such an eye-opener because I got to learn about different situations and different countries. Some countries are advanced in certain areas we are not and some countries I could share what we do in our country to help solve issues,” said Puni Gaetsewe from Botswana.
Apart from physical literacy, the training also focused on how to engage with children in a holistic manner.
“The teachings stay with them for life and it’s lovely that from a very young age you start learning about other aspects of your lives,” said Gaetsewe.
Concurring, Ghanaian Jonathan Amoako-Atta said a well-rounded base gives the trainees strength and ability to enjoy what they do.
“This goes beyond even swimming,” he said. “The Discover Water Course challenged our thinking and the way we have implemented Learn to Swim programmes. It is a very good base for children to learn and enjoy water—and ultimately bind themselves to be part of aquatics activities for life.”
