#development

Finland looking for head coaching candidates

By United World Wrestling Press

HELSINKI, Finland (September 23) --- The Finnish Wrestling Federation is looking for a head coach and national team coaches for results-responsible positions for the 2025–2028 Olympics. We require the coach to have competence and commitment to the level of requirements of international top sports/youth coaching activities aimed at the top.

Duties and responsibilities of the Head Coach

  • Acts as the head of coaching and leads coaching activities (all forms of wrestling)
  • Responsible for LA2028 federation-led coaching of elite athletes (plans, daily coaching, competitions, camps, follow-up)
  • Responsible for success according to the goals, works closely with HUY, coaching centers and other important stakeholders
  • Responsible for the implementation of the national team activities of all forms of wrestling according to the budget (monitoring)
  • Developer of top coaching and participates in coach training.


The national team coach works full-time in contract-led coaching positions (e.g. top-level coach, youth national team coach) and in daily coaching. In addition to his own job, the OTO national team coach works in the coaching positions of the federation management according to the contract. The tasks and responsibilities of the national team coaches in question become clearer when the whole of the coaching is clear.

Responsibilities, tasks and other working conditions related to the content of the work are agreed upon in negotiations between the parties. The tasks, their fulfillment and the duration of the fixed-term contract depend on the commitments of the Olympic Committee's elite sports unit and other sponsors of the salary. An entity other than Painiliitto can also act as an employer. The work includes travel and evening and weekend work, and no separate compensation is paid for it.

If you are interested in the above-mentioned positions, please send a free-form application and a concise summary of your skills, education and experience by email to info@painiliitto.net by Friday, October 4, 2024.

Also, tell us your salary expectations and which positions you are interested in ( wrestling form, age group, full-time job, or working alongside your own job, etc. ). You can apply for several different positions with one application, as long as you tell us which positions you are interested in. Employment begins on January 1, 2025 or later, when case-specific salary funding has been confirmed.

Inquiries: Pekka Paavola, Chairman of the Wrestling Association (044 977 5287)

#development

Women in Wrestling: Leaders Reflect on Experience in WSLA Program

By United World Wrestling Press

CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland (March 1) -- Some of wrestling's up-and-coming leaders last week completed the Women's Sport Leadership Academy for High Performance Coaches Program. Clarissa CHUN (USA), Lotta ANDERSSON JOHANSSON (NOR), Diletta GIAMPICCOLO (HUN/ITA) and Jessica MEDINA (USA) were each successful at graduating from the groundbreaking leadership program.  

An assortment of IF's teamed up with the IOC's Olympic Solidarity program to offer the 14-month WSLA program for a limited number of high-performance coaches. The program was in direct support of Recommendation 6 of the IOC's Gender Equality Review Project, which seeks to increase the share of female coaches at the Olympic Games.  

United World Wrestling was the instigator among five other International Federations to drive this first initiative of its kind for the development of women in coaching.    

 The coaches developed skills in many areas through the program, including developing effective leadership skills to further their development as coaches and leaders in wrestling. They completed activities and projects on their own throughout the 14-month program and spent the final two months attending multiple online sessions. The coaches also worked with a leadership mentor from WSLA and a sport-specific mentor to help improve specific leadership and sport specific competencies. 

The women who participated in the program recently reflected on the experience.  

Clarissa Chun: "The Zulu word 'Ubuntu' means I am because of you, you are because of me. This philosophy helps describe my experience in the Women's Sports Leadership Academy High-Performance Coaches Program. The program brought global perspectives, which sparked creative ways of working together. We expanded our leadership and communication skills and laid the foundation of a support network that will continue to grow as we share ideas and experiences beyond the WSLA program. Mahalo to everyone involved in the WSLA HPC Program. I would also like to extend my appreciation to United World Wrestling, USA Wrestling, and Olympic Solidarity in supporting my development as a coach."  

 Lotta Andersson: "The greatest thing for me about being a part of the WSLA program is meeting all of these strong motivated and successful female coaches from different sports from different parts of the world. I have a greater understanding of how important it is to have a strong network around you for support, motivation, and cooperation. Getting more and more women as coaches and leaders involved in high-performance cultures is important for the future. I think this means that more athletes also see the opportunity to continue living with sports as a profession. I also think it is important to make women realize that you can be just as good whether you have a male or female coach."  

Diletta Giampiccolo: "The greatest gift the WSLA program gave me was the realization that I am not alone as a woman in the sports world. Since 25 women coaches in 6 Olympic sports from 5 continents participated in the program, I felt that I was a part of a great community. It made me realize that regardless of where you live and work as a woman, we all deal with the same problems. The WSLA program has taught me to reach out for help and if we work together nothing is impossible."  

Jessica Medina: "I am extremely grateful to have had the opportunity to join the WSLA program. The course focused on key leadership skills that translate directly into high performance coaching. I was able to build a network of 25 coaches from 23 countries in 6 sports. We had the same challenges and we were able to support one another in overcoming obstacles including the COVID-19 pandemic. I'm grateful to United World Wrestling and the IOC for the support they have extended in supporting female coaches. The future is bright!"  

The WSLA Leadership program was renewed for another year with dates to be defined in the coming months. Scholarship applications for interested individuals and NFs will be sent in due time.

For more information on the activities of the United World Wrestling development department check out www.unitedworldwrestling.org/development