Swim Aus launch landmark Para workshop in India

Australian coaching expertise is front and centre in India this week with Swimming Australia coaches Martin Roberts and Nathan Doyle leading a landmark international initiative aimed at strengthening para-swimming performance in India.

Swimming Australia, in partnership with the Australian High Commission in New Delhi and the Paralympic Committee of India (PCI), dived into Day 1 of Beyond the Lanes: Advanced Para Swimming Coaching Workshop at the Dr. Syama Prasad Mukherjee Swimming Pool Complex in New Delhi overnight.

Roberts, a dual Olympian (1988, 1992), and Doyle are leading the four-day workshop, sharing best practices in para-swimming training, athlete preparation and performance optimisation.

The workshop, held in Gwalior, represents a significant development in strengthening India’s para-swimming coaching infrastructure and 35 coaches from across the country have been selected to participate, highlighting PCI’s commitment to enhancing grassroots and elite-level expertise.

The sessions will focus on advancing technical knowledge, adapting coaching methods for various classifications, and aligning Indian training standards with global benchmarks.

Australia’s High Commissioner to India, Philip Green, highlighted the expanding sporting collaboration between the two nations at the launch.

He said: “Sport has always been a powerful bridge between Australia and India. Australia brings deep expertise in coaching, infrastructure, sports education, science, integrity, and inclusion, while India brings scale, energy, ambition, and a young population”

“Our partnership with the Paralympic Committee of India provides a strong and strategic platform to share expertise in para-sport and build inclusive systems that operate from the grassroots level through to elite performance.”

The workshop concludes on February 28, 2026.

Pictured left to right: Nathan Doyle, Martin Roberts, Devendra Jhajharia (President Paralympic Committee of India), Manish Rana (Director Sports Development and Performance, Paralympic Committee of India).