An inspiring trio of female paddle sport coaches have joined the Women in Sport High-Performance (WISH) pathway programme with the aim of improving their leadership skills.
Chinese Taipei’s Yen-ting Liu, Senegal’s Madjiguene Seck and New Zealand’s Emily Willock have set out on their mission to ensure women are at the forefront of shaping high-performance sport.
The WISH programme was created to increase the representation of female coaches at World Championships and the Olympic Games, where women constitute up to only 13% of coaches.
Last year saw Chinese Taipei’s Wei-Han Chen, Hungary’s Sara Timea Seprenyi, Mexico’s Adriana Valderrama Morones and South Africa’s Bridgitte Hartley graduate from the programme.
Liu, Seck and Willock are the latest female coaches from the world of paddle sport to be selected for the scheme.
Coaches on the cohort attended the WISH Programme Residential Week at the University of Hertfordshire in Great Britain at the end of July and have since been participating in online sessions.
“It is imperative to have more female coaches and leaders in sport to ensure that we establish gender parity,” said Dr Cecilia Farias, Vice President of the International Canoe Federation.
“The WISH programme is a wonderful initiative that is designed to modify the system.
“We need to have a system that welcomes more women and girls, not just as coaches but as athletes. That will help to ensure more female coaches and more women in positions of power or influence.
“I am delighted that Madjiguene, Yen-ting and Emily have joined this programme that will equip them with the skills to push on in their careers and hopefully become a coach of a nation that is represented at a World Championships and at an Olympic Games.”
Willock is the national development coach at Canoe Racing New Zealand – a position she has held since 2022.
“I feel honoured to have been selected for the WISH programme and to be part of such an inspiring group of women who are working towards leading and shaping high performance sport,” said Willock.
“It’s a privilege to learn alongside others who bring such passion, expertise, and ambition to their roles.
“Through this journey, I hope to grow my leadership capabilities, strengthen my confidence, and develop practical tools that will help me have a greater impact in my sport.
“I’m particularly excited about the opportunity to build meaningful connections and share experiences with other women in leadership, as I believe the collective support and knowledge within this group will be invaluable.
“Ultimately, I want to come out of the programme with greater clarity, resilience, and the ability to positively influence both the people I work with and the environments I contribute to in high performance sport.”
Seck, who became an ICF Canoe Sprint Level 1 Coach in 2023, is making great strides as a coach in Senegal, helping to elevate paddlers in her country to the Olympic and Paralympic stages.
“What I felt when I participated in the WISH programmme was a great relief,” said Seck.
“It’s an opening, a dream fulfilled because this programme opened the doors for me, my dreams came true and they made it easier for me to have the know-how.
“I was born and raised in a small village located in Dakar, the capital of Senegal.
“In a village surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, I lived in a village inhabited by fishermen.
“The immense pleasure I get when I coach is seeing the children of my village, playing sports, smiling, having fun, and above all having access to the outside world, especially my dream, to have future champions in my village.”
Liu is also a Canoe Sprint coach as she supports the growth of paddle sport in Chinese Taipei.
“I feel truly honoured to be part of the WISH programme,” said Liu.
“It is an incredible opportunity to learn, grow, and connect with other passionate coaches from around the world.
“Through this programme, I hope to develop my leadership skills, gain new perspectives, and contribute to the promotion of canoeing, particularly by inspiring more women and young athletes to engage in the sport.
“My aim is to bring back the knowledge and experiences I gain here to help strengthen coaching development in my home country and beyond.”
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