With the International Powerlifting Federation (IPF) moving towards qualified coaches travelling with national teams from January 2026, the South American Federation (FESUPO) has started to ensure that its affiliates fall in line with this requirement.
Preceding the 2024 edition of the South American Women’s and Men’s Classic Powerlifting Championships in Buenos Aires, Argentina, the IPF in association with the FESUPO conducted a two-day Basic Trainer Education Course which saw Guyana’s Kerma Singh attending.
Singh, who has been assisting with coaching almost all the national Powerlifting teams that have been travelling to compete for over a decade, said he was very happy to participate in the course and is looking forward to doing the Level two course very soon.
“This is very important to me and I know, by extension, the Powerlifting Federation of Guyana,” he said.
“As a nation, it is important to invest in the technical development of individuals in the form of Coaches and Assistants. I would encourage all the persons involved in Guyana in this most important area to get themselves certified as the International and Regional bodies will be making this mandatory, very soon, so we need to put ourselves in order.”
Singh, whose dad is still very competitive at almost 80 years old, said he is grateful to the Federation for allowing him to get his career formally off in an official way and is looking forward to being fully compliant with the IPF’s mandate.
The two-day programme consisted of 200 modules and focused on, among other areas, basic training, nutrition, and mental health values. It also dealt with areas specific to female athletes and males.
