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Japanese Swim Coach strengthening school programme
Warm-up pool to be ready by year-end says Director of Sports Neil Kumar
By Sean Devers
Director of Sports Neil Kumar yesterday lauded the work of Japanese Swim Coach Kumiko Inuzuka and said her six-month stint in Guyana should greatly improve the standard of swimming at the school level and widen the pool of local swimmers.
Kumar was speaking at the Colgrain Pool on Camp Street where Inuzuka was conducting sessions for Adult beginners after completing an hour-session for Children beginners.
The Japanese is in Guyana to conduct a ‘Learn to swim beginners programme’ and is scheduled to depart in early August.
Her sessions run from 15:30hrs to 16:30hrs for Children and 16:30hrs to 17:30hrs for Adults every Monday to Friday and she is keen to return for another six months once she gets the clearance from the Japan International Corporation Agency which is responsible for sending Coaches to different parts of the world. 
“She is doing a fantastic job in strengthening our swimming programme at the formative stage and building our school programme. We would love to have her back,” Kumar said as the eager beginners made splashes in the 25-feet pool behind him.
Kumar said that the club structure for swimming in Guyana is not as strong as it should be and said he was heartened not only by the huge interest for the Children’s Beginners programme but by the number of their parents attending the Adults level-one sessions.
Kumar said the Japanese loves what she is doing and informed that all of her expenses are paid by the Japan Government with the Sports Ministry in Guyana just required to provide her with a stipend.
“The Guyana Government has to pay the swimming and Boxing Coach from Cuba since they are a higher level and working with the elites in their sporting fields. The Cuban Swim Coach works at the Aquatic Centre at Liliendaal and Coaches Guyana’s top swimmers,” Kumar disclosed.
For Inuzuka, her students are between ages 5-16 and the Adults and she says it should take about four months for them to graduate to the level where they will be able to swim well enough to go on to the Aquatic Centre.
Speaking in her fast improving English, Inuzuka said that the enthusiasm level among the swimmers is very high.
“We have sessions every day except Saturdays and Sundays and it is not that easy to just learn to swim in a short time. We have to grade them here (beginners classes) before they could move on the deeper 50 meter pool at the Aquatic Centre but everyone is working hard and I am enjoying my stay in Guyana,” the Japanese said.
She said that she finds Guyanese very hospitable people and says the Sports Ministry staff has been very supportive.
When asked her views on the Pool at the Aquatic Centre Inuzuka opined that it is very good for training swimmers to medal in top competitions but said that for it to host proper International events it must have lights, properly marked lanes and a warm-up Pool.
Kumar said that these things, including the warm-up pool should be in place by year end.
Abraham Watson, Administrator of both the Pools at the Aquatic Centre and Colgrain, feels the facilities are serving its purpose, adding that once Part-time Life Guards and more Instructors are available the pools will be open to more use by the general public.
He said that while work has to be done with the skill levels, the sport of swimming in Guyana is becoming more popular and feels that with the assistance of people like Inuzuka the interest for swimming locally can only rise as this country aims to one day become a force to be reckoned with at the International level in this sport.
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