Kuwait City, Kuwait, March 25, 2022: Senior FINA official Craig Hunter has praised the initiative and organisation at the Olympic Council of Asia’s inaugural special development project for coaches and referees from 12 National Olympic Committees in West Asia.
“It is a great initiative and I’m very impressed at the facilities available for the participants in all the sports, and in particular swimming as there is a 25-metre pool in the building” noted Hunter, vice-chairman of FINA’s technical committee and an international referee for 40 years.
A comprehensive two-day programme for swimming referees ended on Thursday, March 24, and thanks to the availability of a swimming pool two floors down from the main conference hall at OCA Headquarter in Salmiya, a lot had been accomplished according to Hunter.
“This is my first visit to Kuwait and I have been overwhelmed by the facilities and the arrangements carried out by the OCA for what is an excellent initiative. This has been an amazing opportunity for the National Olympic Committees in this region to provide judges and coaches to learn and develop,” said Hunter.
Hunter had no hesitation when FINA President, Mr. Husain Al Musallam, had asked for a senior lecturer to conduct the courses for swimming referees.
“Out of respect for our President, who is also the Director General of the Olympic Council of Asia, I was keen to come here. Swimming, and FINA is one of the best organised sports in the world and I’m glad to be able to share our good practices with other sports,” Hunter revealed.
Swimming referees from 12 countries – Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, United Arab Emirates and Yemen – were given a brief but thorough review of the FINA rules that govern the pool at international events by Hunter.
His sage advice included: “always do things to help the swimmer instead of looking at ways to disqualify the swimmer. Some referees think they are the most important people at an event. They are not.”
All the participants in the first of the three-phase special development project – coaches and referees in handball, swimming and volleyball – have been housed at the Holiday Inn, Salmiya, a hop-step-and-jump away from the OCA headquarters making it an easy commute.
“It has been challenging delivering so much knowledge in just two days, but it has been facilitated by the amazing facilities so close to each other as well as a very receptive and enthusiastic bunch of participants. I believe this is the first time the OCA is having such a project. It is a great initiative and one which I hope will continue in the future,” Hunter added.
