European Aquatics is partnering with the Brazilian Swimming Confederation (CBDA) to deliver an international coaches clinic in Porto Alegre, Brazil, on 5-6 September 2026.
The clinic is being staged as a satellite event of the international symposium for biomechanics and medicine in Swimming (BMS), the leading scientific gathering for swimming researchers and practitioners worldwide, which takes place at the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS) from 7-11 September 2026.
The initiative follows the groundbreaking BMS satellite event organised by European Aquatics in Leipzig in 2023, then in partnership with World Aquatics, which brought together leading coaches and scientists under the banner “Bridging the gap between science and training.”
Representing European Aquatics on the speaker programme is Santiago Veiga (ESP), full professor at the department of sports of the Polytechnic University of Madrid and Olympic swimming coach at Rio 2016, who will present on competitive training for young swimmers.
He will be joined by the below Brazilian speakers:
Alberto Silva (BRA) – five-time coach of the Brazilian Olympic Team, coach of the Portuguese Olympic Team at Paris 2024, and world-record coach with Cesar Cielo, presenting on speed training and inclusion in the Olympic Games.
Fernando Vanzella (BRA) – coach of the Brazilian Olympic Team in 2008, 2012 and 2016, coordinator of Brazilian women’s swimming from 2013-2016, and a gold medal-winning coach at World Championships, speaking on women’s swimming.
Kiko Klaser (BRA) – coach of the Brazilian Open Water Swimming Team, twelve-time Brazilian Open Water Champion and a coach at the Pan American Games, presenting on open water development.
The below programme outlines the running order of the event (all in local Brazilian time):
5 September
09:30 – Registration
14:30-15:00 – Opening ceremony (CBDA, European Aquatics, World Aquatics, UFRGS)
15:00-16:00 – Santiago Veiga: Competitive Training for Young Swimmers
16:00-17:00 – Alberto Silva: Speed Training, Inclusion in the Olympic Games
17:00-17:30 – Coffee break
17:30-18:30 – Fernando Vanzella: Women’s Swimming
18:30 – End of session
6 September
09:00-10:00 – Kiko Klaser: Open Water Development
10:00-10:30 – Coffee break
10:30-12:00 – Panel discussion
12:00 – Closing ceremony
The clinic is open to online attendees only, with a registration fee of €100. Registration is now open via the European Aquatics Academy platform.
Click here to register for the clinic.
The full clinic will be streamed live and recorded on the European Aquatics Academy platform.
Click here for more information on the BMS Symposium itself.
Stephen Stanley for European Aquatics
