Kenya Aquatics charts structured pathway with national swimming curriculum

Jaydon Nigel of Genesis swim club at the recent national long course championships at Kasarani/HANDOUT

Kenya’s swimming landscape is set for a major shift after the Kenya Aquatics technical committee and coaches commission unveiled plans to develop a comprehensive curriculum to harmonise training and coaching standards.

The curriculum will provide a clear and structured pathway for swimmer development — from beginner level to high performance — ensuring consistency in coaching methods.

Kenya Aquatics technical director Omar Omari said the framework is designed to align the country’s coaching programmes with global standards set by World Aquatics.

“This will provide a clear, structured pathway for swimmer development from beginner stages to high-performance level while ensuring practices remain consistent and well coordinated nationwide,” said Omari.

The curriculum will outline what swimmers should learn at every stage of development, the key technical skills to be mastered, and the most effective training methods to support safe and progressive growth.

“This will give coaches a shared reference point for planning sessions, assessing performance and preparing swimmers for competition,” Omari noted.

Beyond athlete development, the initiative is expected to strengthen coach education. Omari said coaching courses and certification programmes will be built around the curriculum, making it easier to develop technically sound coaches equipped with modern training methods.

The framework will also support continuous professional development through updated modules, workshops and mentoring opportunities.

Omari added that the curriculum will contribute to broader technical growth across clubs, schools and regional programmes by providing a uniform structure for talent identification and progression.

“Clubs, schools and regional programmes will have a consistent framework to follow, improve talent identification and make it easier for swimmers to transition smoothly between stages of development,” he said.

In the long term, the initiative is expected to raise performance standards, improve athlete preparation and strengthen Kenya’s competitiveness at regional and international level.

Omari said once the curriculum is in place, it will support the long-term athlete pathway towards the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, noting that Kenya has the potential to produce A and B time swimmers.

“I believe we have what it takes to produce swimmers of this calibre. It will only happen if all stakeholders work together and raise coaching standards across the country,” he said.

He added that the selection criteria for the Africa Aquatics junior, senior and Masters Swimming Championships in Ghana in May, as well as the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, will be released soon.