The 'OzSwim Brunei' programme, aimed towards developing swim coaching capacity in Brunei, came to an end yesterday with a Swim Gala event held at the ISB aquatic centre.

Organised by the Australian High Commission in Brunei Darussalam in collaboration with International School Brunei (ISB) with the support from the Ministry of Education (MoE), the gala marked the final event of the week-long programme.

Participating in the gala yesterday were the children of His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu'izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar 'Ali Saifuddien Sa'adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, His Royal Highness Prince 'Abdul Wakeel and Her Royal Highness Princess Ameerah Wardatul Bolkiah.

Yang Teramat Mulia Pengiran Muda 'Abdul Muntaqim ibni Duli Yang Teramat Mulia Paduka Seri Pengiran Muda Mahkota Pengiran Muda Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah and Yang Amat Mulia Pengiran Anak 'Abdul Haseeb bin Pengiran Maharaja Setia Laila Diraja Sahibul Irshad Pengiran Anak Haji Abdul Rahim, also took part in the gala yesterday.

Yang Berhormat Pehin Datu Lailaraja Major General (Rtd) Dato Paduka Seri Haji Awang Halbi bin Haji Mohd Yussof, Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports, yesterday morning officiated the opening of the Swim Gala. Also in attendance were Selina Cho, Australian Acting High Commissioner to Brunei Darussalam, and Dr. Steven Geraghty, ISB Executive Principal.

In his opening remarks at the opening, Mark Phipps, ISB Director of Sport, said, "This collaboration with the Australian High Commission is a fantastic opportunity for ISB to work with teachers and pupils from other international and local schools."

"It has provided a springboard for coaches to develop their knowledge and understanding of how to improve techniques and deliver programmes that will help hundreds of swimmers. We also wanted to provide an opportunity for swimmers to come together in a fun and competitive environment," he said.

Throughout the programme, Joanne Love and Haydn Belshaw, highly qualified and respected swim coaches from Australia, spent the week running training sessions for coaches and supervising lessons and squad training sessions for students at all levels. The participants of the programme were drawn from the government and private schools across Brunei and Labuan.

Reflecting on her time spent in Brunei, Love said, "Coaching is all about helping others to learn, and we hope that we have been of assistance to the swim coaches and teachers of Brunei.

"Raising water awareness and safety is paramount to ensuring that all children are safe around water."

"It has been an absolute joy working with the teachers from both the government and private schools in Brunei.

"It was evident how much they enjoyed learning new skills, and hopefully all their students will benefit from this knowledge," she added.

The gala saw various fun activities including the 25m swim race, relays and mini games. It ended with a certificate presentation to the Australian coaches.

Source:
@BRUDIRECT.COM

by BruDirect.com

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