The training of coaches who work in the world of sports occurs on different fronts, including higher education courses offered by universities and continuing education programs offered by federations (state, national and international), clubs and also private entities. The preparation of these professionals combines fundamentals of biomechanics, physiology, anatomy, psychology and sociology, among other areas of knowledge, which feed the scientific perspective commonly called sports science.
Unicamp, through its Faculty of Physical Education (FEF) and Faculty of Applied Sciences (FCA), has played a prominent role in this field, not only through the training offered in its courses and the various extension and research projects carried out by faculty and students of these units, but also through individual or collective partnerships (agreements) with national and international organizations, such as the Brazilian Olympic Committee (COB).
The journey recounted here began in 2012, when I was elected to one of the technical committees of the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG), based in Lausanne (Switzerland), nominated by the Brazilian Gymnastics Confederation (CBG), a position I hold to this day.
In 2017, I was appointed by the president of the FIG, Watanabe Morinari, to join the institution's Education Committee , which I chaired in 2019, leading a group of six experts from various countries (Wales, Japan, Australia, Indonesia, and Spain).
One of the programs developed by this organization since 2002 is the FIG Academy, which offers a basic course (called Foundations of Gymnastics ) and three other levels for professionals working in one of the seven disciplines under the FIG's umbrella (men's and women's artistic gymnastics, rhythmic gymnastics, trampoline, acrobatic gymnastics, aerobic gymnastics, and parkour ). The program offers between 40 and 50 courses per year, with more than 600 participants.
At the request of the FIG, I led the FIG Academy modernization project, initiated in 2019, changing the in-person course format to a hybrid format – this involved developing an e-learning platform in three languages (French, English, and Spanish), a process still underway and involving more than 50 specialists from 20 countries. A new curriculum was developed, and all courses underwent a thorough review, validation, translation, and editing process in digital format. Simultaneously, the federation began recording webinars with the participation of leading international experts, events that are broadcast free of charge on the organization's YouTube channel.
I participated in some of these online seminars , the 2022 edition of which included the participation of retired Unicamp professor Elizabeth Paoliello. It's worth highlighting that the FIG decided to continue with the practical component of the courses, which generally last five days and take place in one of the 152 member countries. This decision is due to the importance of bringing together coaches and specialists from different countries for in-person activities.
Access the news published by FIG in 2021 and 2023.
During these years, I was invited to teach different courses in the FIG Academy program (in Chile, Mexico, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico, Barbados, South Africa, Aruba, etc.), consolidating a relationship between the international community and Unicamp, an institution that has built a recognized reputation in training, dissemination and research in the field of gymnastics through the Gymnastics Research Group (GPG), currently coordinated by Professor Laurita Schiavon and which has an important contribution from Professors Eliana Ayoub (Faculty of Education) and Eliana de Toledo (Faculdade Anhanguera de Campinas).
Indeed, several postgraduate students have already participated in the program, receiving FIG certification. This collaboration has been helping FEF and FCA to follow discussions in the field of sport and conduct research that can contribute to relevant issues, as well as internationalize by sending or receiving guests , as was the case with Professor Keith Russell (University of Saskatchewan – Canada) in 2020. In October 2024, FEF will host Professor Francisco León Guzman (University of Extremadura – Spain), another researcher and specialist in the field of gymnastics.
Last July, I was with two other experts (Tatsuo Araki, from the Nippon Sport Science University in Japan; and Petrina Hitchson, from the Australian Gymnastics Federation) teaching a course on the fundamentals of gymnastics in Kathmandu (Nepal) to a group of 40 coaches from Asian countries (Bangladesh, Iran, Nepal, India, Sri Lanka, Mongolia, Indonesia and Malaysia). Although the reality of each of these countries is different and the development of the sport is uneven in terms of scientific training and access to facilities and equipment, the course represents an important tool in providing basic training and in enabling the creation of a network with participants, opening the doors to future exchanges.
By participating in this type of experience, new pedagogical strategies and excellent practices are also learned by the specialists, helping to update the course and taking it to their places of work, such as Unicamp, new developments that can contribute to the reflection on problems present in the local reality, as well as to build solutions that can help professionals working in different locations and in different countries. FIG has helped to build several bridges between Unicamp and the world of gymnastics, projecting our research internationally, in addition to offering opportunities that benefit everyone.
Visiting such different realities is an opportunity that allows us to renew our perspectives, as well as reconstruct our actions and seek an intellectual production that is linked to the material reality and its concrete problems. There is no doubt that Unicamp, through its faculty and students, today has great respect for the FIG and for several other sports organizations, at all levels, from local to global.
This text does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Unicamp.
Marco Antonio Coelho Bortoleto is a professor at the Faculty of Physical Education at Unicamp (e-mail: bortoleto@fef.unicamp.br).
