15 athletes from eight nations participate in high-performance training program led by Olympians in Fiji
Korolevu,Fiji – May 23, 2025
This week, the ISA held its fourth annual Continental Youth Athlete Development Program (YADP) in Fiji. The initiative, supported by Olympic Solidarity, is focused on empowering young athletes and their coaches from developing nations throughout the world. Held previously in the Americas, Africa, and Asia, this year’s YADP focused on youth from the Oceania region.
Designed to build skills and long-term development strategies for future Olympians with limited access to high-performance resources, the program welcomed 15 surfers from eight nations, all under the age of 18. Throughout the week, interactive coaching was combined with training exercises in order to help athletes maximize their skill sets both in and out of the water.
This year’s edition was led by Olympian and former Championship Tour surfer Michel Bourez (FRA), alongside ISA Coaching Expert Lee Ryan of New Zealand. The program covered a wide range of topics, including an in-depth overview of judging, venue analysis, mental preparation, competition rules, contest strategy, motivational goals, technical video analysis and more.
Alongside the coaches, ISA Athlete Ambassadors and Olympians Saffi Vette (NZL) and Leilani McGonagle (CRC), who is also a member of the ISA Athletes’ Commission, served as mentors and coaches for the attendees throughout the program.
The program was hosted in collaboration with the Oceania Surfing Federation and Fiji Surfing Association, whose president Hannah Bennett (FJI) provided support. Training for coaches from Oceania was also included to enable long-term youth athlete development to continue in the future.
