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Thirty-three boxing coaches from six African countries have received Level 1 international coaching certification after completing a week-long technical course in Freetown.
The training, organized by the Sierra Leone Boxing Association (SLBA) in partnership with the National Olympic Committee of Sierra Leone (NOC-SLE), concluded Wednesday, Sept. 16, at the OlympAfrica Centre in Goderich.
The program received support from Olympic Solidarity and World Boxing and brought together coaches from Sierra Leone, The Gambia, Seychelles, Somalia, Namibia and Togo.
Participating coaches attended with youth boxers who had already qualified for the 2026 Youth Olympic Games, according to information provided by the SLBA.
The youth boxers underwent technical assessments during the program under the supervision of Irish-born international boxing instructor William Brereton as part of their preparations for the Youth Olympic Games.
The course concluded with certification for participants who successfully completed the training. The SLBA said 33 local and international coaches from Sierra Leone and the five other participating countries were certified.
At the closing ceremony, the SLBA said it would place greater emphasis on professional coaching standards and announced that coaches without a Level 1 Coaching Licence would not be permitted to coach boxing clubs or regions.
The association also thanked the National Sports Authority, NOC-SLE and the Ministry of Sports for supporting and participating in the opening and closing ceremonies.
The SLBA said the completion of the course would strengthen technical coaching capacity in Sierra Leone while contributing to improved coaching standards among participating African countries.