The UK Athletics National Race Walking Centre at Carnegie Leeds Metropolitan University in Great Britain has announced that it will stage the 1st European Race Walking Conference from 5 to 7 November 2010.
The conference, which is supported by UK Athletics, England Athletics and European Athletics, will be the second event in the 2010 European Athletics Coaching Summit Series and is expected to draw coaches and athletes from across Europe.
The twin pillars of Long Term Coach Development and Athlete Development will be the themes for the conference, which will comprise an exciting mix of key note addresses, lectures and practical workshops.
The line-up of speakers will include coaches, practitioners from the fields of sports science and medicine, academics and top athletes.
Speakers already confirmed for the conference are:
Brent Vallance (Australia) - Australian Institute of Sport Walks Coach and Coach to Double Olympic Medallist Jared Tallent.
Antonio La Torre (ITA) - Coach to Ivano Brugnetti (2004 Olympic Champion) and Professor of Physiology, University of Milan.
Patrick Duffy (IRL) - Professor of Coaching, Carnegie Leeds Metropolitan University. Professor Duffy has played a significant role in the development of Sports Coaching in the UK, Ireland and internationally. Pat was instrumental in establishing the UK Coaching Framework. Pat was formerly the CEO of Sports Coach UK and Director of the Irish National Coaching and Training Centre, University of Limerick and has worked with European Athletics.
Alison Rose (GBR) - Head Physiotherapist, Carnegie Sports Physiotherapy Clinic will lead a session on Injury prevention- Alison is a former international marathon runner, Alison has worked with UK Athletics and the English Institute of Sport for a number of years. She was Kelly Holmes physio in the lead up to her double gold medals in Athens. She is also the physio to current World and European heptathlon champion Jessica Ennis.
Brian Hanley (IRL) - Biomechanist, Carnegie Leeds Metropolitan University. Brian has undertaken a number of comprehensive studies into the biomechanics of race walking. This has involved undertaking the testing of numerous athletes in the laboratory and studies of the 2007 and 2009 European Cup Race Walking, 2008 IAAF World Race Walking Cup and 2010 European Athletics Championships.
Pat Ryan (IRL) - Director of Development, Athletics Ireland.
Andi Drake (GBR) - Director of Race Walking at UKA National Race Walking Centre and exercise physiologist, Carnegie Leeds Metropolitan University. Dr Drake has published widely around the physiology and biomechanics of race walking.
Further details about the conference can be found at http://www.leedsmet.ac.uk/conferences/racewalking/
Delegate costs and how to book https://onlinestore.leedsmet.ac.uk/browse/extra_info.asp?compid=1&modid=2&prodid=42&deptid=4&catid=2
The UK will also host another European Athletics Coaching Summit, the 1st European Sprints and Hurdles Conference, which will take place in London 13-14 November.
The European Athletics Coaching Summit Series was launched in 2008 in response to the demand from coaches for practice-oriented conferences focused on a small number of disciplines. The summits are organised by federations and other national partners with support from European Athletics. European Athletics also offers its Member Federations with scholarships that help cover the costs of their coaches attending conferences in the series. For more information click