Wayne Lomas started to work with Swimming Canada as the Associate High Performance Director and National Para Swimming Coach in 2018. With a successful 2019 World Para Swimming Championships under his belt, things were looking promising for the team heading into 2020. But the unprecedented events of 2020, including the pandemic-induced postponement of the Olympic/Paralympic Games, has turned things upside down. This is the first in a two-part Q&A discussion with Wayne on his approach to leading the Paralympic Program so far, especially during these uncertain times:

Q: How have you tried to establish team culture since you arrived in 2018?

A: I was fortunate to begin with the Canadian swim team in Spring 2018, just after the Commonwealth Games in Australia. It was great to arrive in Canada soon after the Commonwealth Games as the Canadian swimmers had performed so well at that meet and the sense of excitement and opportunity were very high. The other positives were the world-class High Performance Centre program operating in Montreal, the incredibly committed and knowledgeable staff in the Swimming Canada Paralympic Program and such a proud and rich history for Para swimming across the country. Increasing the involvement of club and university coaches in our camp and competition program has also allowed us to fast track development and education of coaches.

In an individual sport like swimming, knowing you have the complete support of your teammates is invaluable. This support has to be deeper than sitting in the stands and cheering, though that is important. It needs to be a deep understanding and respect for each individual. I believe that excellence is a habit that we need to practice and develop. We need to trust each other to do what we say we will do, respect differences and celebrate togetherness.

Within our team, we speak and act professionally. Some people might say, ‘If I’m getting paid for it, I must be professional,” but I have often said that being paid is the final step in professionalism. You’re being paid because of what you’ve done, your attitudes and your behaviours – you eat well, promote yourself well, carry yourself well. Professionalism is when the culmination of a series of excellent behaviours manifests as excellent performance.

So, ultimately, culture for me is about respect and excellence – if we get these two pieces right, our behaviours and performances will follow.

Q: What changes do you foresee moving past 2020? Are there any impediments to growing the program?

A: As a team, we enjoyed very good results at the 2019 World Para Swimming Championships in London. We had a terrific plan in place for the Tokyo Games and we were building great momentum into the season. Despite the delay caused by the pandemic, none of these things have changed. We still have eight swimmers who won individual medals in London and another 25 or so who have already achieved a Tokyo qualifying time – or Minimum Qualification Standard (MQS).

As we prepare for next year’s Games, we are protecting the Tokyo plan, while tweaking as necessary to ensure the swimmers and coaches are well supported financially, technically, emotionally and socially. Senior Coach Vince Mikuska, supported by our coaching team of Janet Dunn, Michel Bérubé, High Performance Centre – Quebec Head Coach Mike Thompson and his Assistant Coach Mike Edey, have played exceptional roles in supporting swimmers and coaches to work through the pandemic, remaining focused on what is within their sphere of control.

At the same time, we have narrowed our focus to how we prepare swimmers and coaches for the Paris 2024 Games. Over the coming six to twelve months, additional attention will be given to our development programs, led by our NextGen Coaches Janet Dunn and Michel Bérubé, to best prepare ourselves for what the future holds.

As a sport, the biggest impediment we potentially face in 2021 and beyond is facilities that may not re-open, or re-open in a limited capacity which impacts the ability of children to either return to or commence swimming. This will be a sport-wide issue, and for some of our swimmers, the impacts could be magnified given the additional support that some swimmers – particularly those with higher support needs – require to undertake swimming.

It is important that we, as a sporting community, continue to advocate for a safe, complete, re-opening of facilities to ensure that our current and future swimmers can train. We need to have pools open for our current athletes and future generations – there is a huge detriment to overall community health and fitness if facilities don’t open. And people with disabilities are easy people to exclude. In some areas right now we have Para swimmers who have to book exclusive use of their local swimming pool, for ridiculous amounts of money. Some facilities are making it very difficult for Para swimmers to be included. Safety and hygiene are the reasons, and that is important, but it’s a really big issue for our elite athletes, so just Imagine what it’s like for young kids with those same hurdles.

Another change I see is the continuation of the increased professionalization of Para sport. The Paralympics of London in 2012 showcased the elite nature of Paralympic sport like never before, and since then, we have seen many athletes excel in their sporting fields as this continues to build. As more and more nations come to recognize the important role that Paralympic sport plays in the fabric of a healthy and vibrant society, we are seeing an increase in government and corporate investment which can better enable Paralympic athletes to be full-time professional athletes. This presents a wonderful opportunity for us, the custodians of the sport. Along with that opportunity comes great responsibility as we continue to develop and deliver world-class programs to help swimmers and their coaches achieve their dreams. As a system leader, it is my responsibility to ensure that we have the strategy, the resources and the structure in place that can best support this important shift and maximize the opportunity.

Q: Why is the Paralympic-focused Netflix film “Rising Phoenix” more important now more than ever? Did anything particular stick out to you?

A: Firstly, I want to both congratulate and thank the people who made this amazing film possible. Not only the ten athletes who appeared, but the thousands of Paralympians who, over the 60 years since the movement officially launched, made this movie possible.

In a film with so many highlights, one of the most striking pieces was that I saw the tenacity that the athletes display in achieving their athletic goals demonstrated by administrators and stakeholders alike. Seeing that the 1980 Paralympic Games, scheduled for Moscow, did not take place in Moscow but went ahead in Netherlands shows the resilience that the Paralympic movement has as its DNA. With the uncertainty surrounding Tokyo, this film shows that the show will go on!

As I mentioned earlier, we must confront the challenge of ensuring access to facilities remains fair and equitable. The demonstration of elite sporting achievement by the Para athletes is an important showcase for the community to see that our people must be guaranteed equal access to facilities, now more than ever. The timing of the release of the movie was ideal as it put the Paralympic movement back into the public eye.