TALISS-IST President Receives Hall Of Fame Award From The Tanzania Swimming Association

Coach John Belela, or as his students know him, Coach JB, was honored with a hall of fame award from the Tanzania Swimming Association last year. The award celebrates his contributions to swimming spanning over 20 years. Coach JB is president of the Tanzania Life Saving Society (TALISS) and a teacher at IST. Over his career, he has trained lifesavers, refereed competitions, conducted workshops, and much more to promote the sport of swimming and its safe practices.

His long-time work at TALISS is notably deserving of a spotlight. Coach JB was intimately involved in the conception and eventual growth of TALISS to the club it is today. In the 1980s, following a suggestion by a visiting lifeguard and working together with Stewart Kiluswa from Tanzania Scouts, Coach JB started TALISS. Initially, the club focused on teaching swimming safety practices and volunteering to keep watch on public beaches. The club met and practiced at the Ocean road beach, now along Barack Obama drive.

In 1989, Coach JB reached out and secured training hours at IST's pool facilities, allowing for more regular training and practices, especially during school holidays. The club quickly grew after this. Over its lifetime, TALISS has trained around 10,000 lifeguards for public pools and other swimming facilities. Three years ago, IST officially partnered with TALISS, providing the club with greater access to facilities and allowing IST swimmers to swim with the best.

Coach JB led IST to an ISSEA's Girls Swimming Championship earlier last year. His students have participated in various national and international competitions as part of TALISS, and sometimes as part of the national team. Some notable club members are Magdalena Moshi and Amaar Ghadiyali. Magdalena (IST) represented Tanzania at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, 2012 London Olympics, and 2016 Rio Di Janeiro Olympics. Amaar (IST) represented Tanzania at the 2012 London Olympics.

We are excited to see what other championships Coach JB and his swim squad will collect in the future!