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OLYMPIC SOLIDARITY IS HELPING COACHES AROUND THE WORLD RESPOND TO THE LATEST TRAINING REQUIREMENTS, GIVING THEIR ATHLETES A GREATER CHANCE OF COMPETING ON THE OLYMPIC STAGE Behind every athlete is an entourage (family, doctors, physiotherapists, etc.), and the person who often fills the most influential position in that support network is the coach. Playing a pivotal role in the career of an Olympian, and often carrying out a variety of functions – from acting as a teacher, trainer or mentor, to psychologist or agent – coaches must possess crucial knowledge and technical expertise to respond to the latest training requirements, so that they can prepare their athletes to be competitive on the grandest stage of all. However, for coaches in those countries where national structures are not very developed, access to this type of information can be extremely difficult. This is where Olympic Solidarity lends a helping hand. Olympic Solidarity offers National Olympic Committees (NOCs) three types of programmes. Technical courses for coaches typically last between PicturedJapanese wrestler Risako Kawai celebrates with her coach after winning gold in the women’s 63kg freestyle event at Rio 2016four and 15 days. These training programmes are designed jointly with the International Federations (IFs) to provide basic training for active and officially recognised coaches under the supervision of an external expert nominated by the IF. It also offers Olympic scholarships, giving access to high-level further training at a centre or university, either in sport science or related to a specific discipline. Finally, the development of a national sports structure programme involves the implementation of a mid- to long-term action plan, which is supported by visits of an international expert in the country. A KEY ROLE IN DEVELOPMENTCOACHES OLYMPIC SOLIDARITY60 OLYMPIC REVIEW