UD's Matt Robinson speaks during the graduation ceremony for the International Coaching Enrichment Program Class of 2015 held at International Olympic Committee headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Inspirational efforts

28 graduate from International Coaching Enrichment Certification Program

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8:45 a.m., May 15, 2015--The International Coaching Enrichment Certification Program (ICECP) honored its Class of 2015 in a ceremony held at the International Olympic Committee (IOC) headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland, on April 27. 

The seventh edition of the ICECP – an intensive coaching education program developed by the United States Olympic Committee, the University of Delaware and the IOC – included 28 coaches representing five continents, 33 countries and 14 sports.

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The ICECP is conducted in partnership with Olympic Solidarity, an IOC program that provides financial assistance to national Olympic committees around the world. Thus far, the ICECP has reached 198 participants from 23 sports and 87 countries over the seven-year history of the program. 

“Congratulations to the newest class of ICECP graduates,” said USOC CEO Scott Blackmun. “These coaches represent the future of the Olympic Movement, and their commitment to developing their personal skillset and advancing the global sports community is admirable.”

Held at UD, the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado, apprenticeship sites around the U.S. and the IOC headquarters, the latest ICECP began at the University on Sept. 20, 2014, and was conducted in four modules. 

In the final module, participants presented the projects they completed over the course of the program – which focused on improving coaching infrastructure in their home countries – to the ICECP academic board, and took part in a formal graduation ceremony featuring a keynote address by IOC Sports Director Kit McConnell and Simon Toulson, secretary general of the International Canoe Federation. 

"It was a true honor to work with the USOC to put on a world-class program,” said Matthew Robinson, director of the ICECP and professor of sport management at UD. "The participants' efforts were inspirational and I know all of them will make important contributions to their sport and the Olympic Movement for years to come. We look forward to year eight next year and passing the 200 participant mark. I am humbled to work with so many passionate people who contribute to the success of the program."

“I always had the idea that I wanted to help Indian basketball and ICECP has given me a platform to do so,” said Shiba Maggon, a 2015 graduate from India. “The program has been a complete package for me. I have learned more than coaching. Yes, I have learned about player development but I have also learned about administration and sponsorship, and I feel I can design a complete program. The ICECP is a great program and I have advised both the basketball federation and our Olympic committee to continue to support coaches of all sports to attend. Of all the courses I have done overseas, the ICECP by far is the best program.” 

“Participation in the ICECP was an amazing experience,” said Marcello Varriale, a 2015 graduate from Brazil. “The content I learned at the University of Delaware and from the USOC staff was invaluable. The difference of the ICECP from other programs is the sharing and learning from different countries and sports, and being able to apply these ideas to my sport of rowing. In implementing my project, I discovered the importance of having a structured program. With that, I was able to develop coaching education in a structured manner to benefit the coaches in my sport and country.”

Robinson said he is “especially proud of the accomplishments of the participants in the implementation of their projects. Several not only impact sport with the implementation of their projects but their societies as a whole through sport.”

He cited ICECP participant Ria Ramnarine, the women’s national team boxing coach for Trinidad and Tobago who implemented a program titled “Boxing Beyond the Ring” that was designed to empower women and girls in the area of personal safety, self- defense and self-confidence to decrease the likelihood of physical and sexual assaults. 

“Ria’s impact went beyond the sport and the program is only going to continue to grow for the benefit of women in her country,” Robinson said.

The 2014-15 program included coaches from American Samoa, Austria, Antigua and Barbuda, Botswana, Brazil, Cambodia, Cape Verde, Cayman Islands, People’s Republic of China, Colombia, Cook Islands, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Fiji, Grenada, India, Jordan, Latvia, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Malaysia, Maldives, Mozambique, Nigeria, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Serbia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Syria, Trinidad and Tobago, United States and Uganda.

For more information on the ICECP, visit the website

About ICECP

A program of the United States Olympic Committee, the University of Delaware and the International Olympic Committee, the International Coaching Enrichment Certification Program aims at assisting national-level coaches in developing proficiency in the areas of sport sciences, talent identification, athlete development, safe sport, coaching education, coaching management and grass roots sport development. 

The intended outcome is for ICECP participants to return to their countries and serve as coaches within their respective sports, while becoming foundation builders for future coaches and athletes, and spreading Olympic spirit.

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