Ontario Provincial Para Swimming Development Consultant

Swimming Canada is pleased to welcome Darda Sales in the position of Ontario Provincial Para Swimming Development Consultant.

As an athlete, Darda is a three-time Paralympic swimmer, one-time Paralympic wheelchair basketball player, and dual sport World Champion. She has gone on to acquire over thirteen years of experience as a swim coach, and co-founded the Intro to Para Swimming program with the London Aquatic Club in Ontario. Darda brings her extensive knowledge of para sport from both the athlete and coach perspective to her role. Being a current PhD candidate at Western University with a focus on para swimmer development, Darda will be positioned to directly apply her research expertise to the position.

Within her role as Ontario Provincial Para Swimming Development Consultant, Darda will adhere to the guiding principles of learning, observing, connecting and understanding.

Her initial mandate is to identify ways to grow the membership and experience of para swimmers, enhance the alignment of existing para swimming programs, and support the high-performance outcomes of para swimmers in Ontario by listening to those within the system and using the feedback to improve the provincial program.

“The addition of Darda Sales with her passion and extensive experience will add huge value to the growing para swimming activities planned by Swim Ontario in tandem with the Ontario Para Swimming Academy at TPASC and the six regions around the province,” said Dean Boles, CEO of Swim Ontario. “The partnership with Swimming Canada, Ontario Para Sport Collective and the Canadian Sport Institute Ontario continues to assist Swim Ontario to contribute to be a leader in the Para swimming world.”

Darda will be spending time establishing connections with all stakeholders (para swimmers, parents, coaches, clubs, Swim Ontario), conducting research, and providing strategic feedback on the current status of the para swimmer pathway in Ontario.

“With Darda’s passion for para sport, coupled with her own experience as an athlete, coach and administrator, this project presents a wonderful opportunity for Swimming Canada and our partner, Swim Ontario to create a project aimed at not only increasing the membership of para swimmers in our most populous province, but also allows us to apply those learnings to provincial sections and clubs across the nation”, said Wayne Lomas, Swimming Canada’s Associate Director of High Performance and Para Swimming National Coach.

“Developing strategies and implementing programs that grow the membership of para swimmers in Ontario as well as helping clubs and coaches to develop programs that enhance the overall experience for our new and existing para swimmers will be valuable for us as we strengthen our swimmer base for the Paris and Los Angeles Paralympic Games” added Lomas.

When asked, Darda expressed great excitement about the opportunity to support and further the reach and scope of para swimming in Ontario. “My PhD research identified very early on that prospective swimmers and their parents in Ontario would value a go-to person when it comes to questions and information on para swimming for both parents and athletes.

“I am thrilled to be given the opportunity to be that person and to provide parents, para athletes, coaches and clubs with the support and guidance they need to thrive within the sport of para swimming. I am also excited about being able to further the practical application of my research, and I look forward to expanding on my research through discussions with coaches and club administrators on their experiences with para swimming.”

The position of Ontario Provincial Para Swimming Development Consultant was made possible through the financial and strategic support of Own the Podium and the Canadian Paralympic Committee. 

Darda Sales can be reached at paradevelopment@swimontario.com.