European Aquatics (LEN) announced Tuesday a new initiative that will give member federations the opportunity to have their training centers officially endorsed by the continental governing body.
LEN has launched an accreditation process that will allow federations to apply to have centers endorsed as official Sport Science, Evaluation, Training Camps and High-Performance training bases.
The ultimate goal of the project is to create a “LEN Innovation Hub” that will act as a one-stop shop resource network to help further develop aquatic sports in European countries at the grassroots level while also pushing things forward in high-performance competition.
“LEN believes that by establishing a considered list of endorsed facilities it can ensure Member Federations, coaches, officials and technical staff have the resources and tools to develop, as well as engage, not only the current, but also the next generation of athletes,” the LEN said in its release.
The initiative aligns with one of the pillars LEN President Antonio Silva had in his action plan when he was elected last year: Our Sport: Making it Accessible for All.
Approved venues and facilities will receive an official LEN accreditation badge and be able to promote the governing body’s endorsement on social media.
Why does this strike me as a thinly veiled ‘cash grab’ by LEN?
Perhaps I’m just too much of a cynic. . . .I hope I’m wrong.