SwimCAN chose to be proactive in creating opportunities for women coaches to succeed at the highest levels of the sport. Of interest to authors Siobhan Rourke, Carol Cárdenas-Castro, and Diane Culver was the impact of two of its initiatives – the Budapest Experience and the ongoing Select Coaches program, launched in 2013 – in transforming an environment that has long been male dominated. 

The Budapest Experience “aimed to enhance the coaches’ experience by exposing them to top-level international swimming … in alignment with the Own The Podium High Performance Plan.” 

Designed to “elevate Canadian coaches who will support the next generation of Canadian swimmers,” the Select Coaches program offers individualized support and collaborative programming that develops confident, proficient coaches who are ready to lead teams at international levels.

The authors give the programs top marks, noting the inclusion of such fundamental mechanisms of support as confidence-building, mentorship, and access to high-performance environments, the essential elements of successful gender equity initiatives. It is encouraging that both will continue, with four coaches selected for the 2026 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships in a program modelled on the Budapest Experience.

As always, the Journal encourages other national sport organizations to emulate initiatives such as these, recognizing both the vital role accomplished women coaches can play in achieving Canada’s high-performance goals on the world stage and their own responsibility in creating the best possible environment for the success of their women coaches. – Sheila Robertson, Journal Editor.

The views expressed in the articles of the Canadian Journal for Women in Coaching are those of the authors and do not reflect the policies of the Coaching Association of Canada.