Discussion: Gueorgiou

Gueorgiou switching from Sweden to Finland as National Team coach. Is Finland going all in for WOC 2025?

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How's the history of coaches delivering serious results for a country? I know there's been a few hired guns for countries and clubs, but decent good track record?

(Besides Hammer of course).

I don't know about the causation, but Sweden's international results have been outstanding during Thierry's tenure.

In the 1970s Knut Nord of Sweden brought the Canadian orienteers up quite a few notches. Of course there were quite a few more notches left for the team to climb. But I think the 1978 men's WOC relay result remains Canada's best.
Was Nord the Gueorgiou of the 1970s? No, far from it. And the Canadian team of any era has been far from the Swedish team of any era. But in his way Nord did what all good coaches should do. He helped the team members BELIEVE they can be better.
I'm guessing that besides being the top orienteering tactician of all time Gueorgiou is tops at instilling confidence in his charges.

I expect there are many examples in other sports of hired guns from other countries making a big difference, at least for countries that weren't doing well in a sport when coupled with establishing national/regional training centres (since the impact would be much more limited if the athletes just continue to train with their own clubs) and, perhaps depending on the sport, done over a long period of time. It could be a combination of improving the abilities of the athletes, improving the skills of other coaches in the country, creating a high level of competition within the country, spotting potential star athletes, and creating the confidence that athletes from the country are capable of performing at the highest levels. Some examples with a Canadian connection:

Tennis Canada hired the head of the very successful French tennis program and at least one of his French colleagues about 15 years ago. Before that Canada might have had a singles player do reasonably well for a year or two every few decades. Today Canada is considered to be one of the top (and rising) tennis powers. In terms of the length of time required, of the two highest ranked Canadian male and female tennis players, the oldest is 22 (i.e., players that were no older than about 7 when the French coaches were hired).

Canada's best in the finals of the four 4x100 swimming relays at the 2012 Olympics was one last place in one of the men's relays. Swimming Canada hired one of the top British coaches, possibly their best coach, right afterwards, to run the Ontario High Performance Centre. Canada now holds every world junior girls relay record. At the Tokyo Olympics, Canada won silver and bronze medals in the two women's 4x100 relays, closing almost all of the gap with the Aussies and the Americans.

China became a power in curling after hiring a Canadian coach.

I cannot remember the name of the Danish junior team coach about 10 years ago. I think his name was Lars. He certainly created a Danish domination in Ida Bobach, the Klingberg sisters and others.

Goran Andersson was pretty good for Team GB!

Goran Andersson had quite a big budget. Currently the senior squad have no staff and basically no proper funding.

France's international results were outstanding during Thierry's tenure as, um, athlete.

I might be off base with this, but it it seems like Thierry left quite a legacy in France, too. His presence is still felt in the swell and wake; France has had a succession of athletes and families, and at least subjectively, to me, a higher average standing than they did before he transformed the sport.

Thierry is the Boris of international orienteering.

@feet. That comment doesn't translate so well in the British context...

@graeme. The US Boris is untranslatable. As, thankfully, is the UK one.

I promise, we are not one and the same.

Our Boris has better hair.

Clem, which one is your Boris?

You should have kept the one born in New York.

Touché.

5 French men in the top 18 at JWOC, including 1st place. Maybe Thierry's legacy is still there

If only orienteering was a Paralympic sport, he could run without his leg I see.

Not sure if the French JWOC results are Thierry's legacy or the start of Eva Jurenikova's effect... At Halden she was outstanding as club coach, doing so much for the club and her enthusiasm for orienteering comes through in everything she does and says.