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Rugby School Thailand is pleased to announce the appointment of Sebastian Marko-Varga as our new Director of Aquatics and his wife, Ida Marko-Varga as one of our key Swimming Coaches.
Sebastian is currently Head Coach of Swimming Club Poseidon in Lund, Sweden. He has previously been an elite coach in Malmö in Sweden, Stavanger in Norway, and Kastrup in Denmark. He has elite coaching qualifications from both the IOC and Swedish Swimming Federation. Alongside these prestigious accreditations, he has also trained numerous athletes to elite level at competitions such as the World Short Course Championships, European Championships, and the Olympic Games. He has additionally been a national level coach in Sweden, Denmark, and Norway.
His wife, Ida, is a four-time Olympian, having represented Sweden at Athens, Beijing, London, and Rio, and prior to COVID-19, was preparing for the Tokyo Olympics too. Her specialist strokes are freestyle and butterfly!
Sebastian and Ida are excited about the move to Rugby School Thailand and will be accompanied by their two children, Vincent and Evelyn, who will join our Pre-Prep.
Our new swimming coaches will be continuing on with the great work Craig Wood had done as Director of Aquatics with us for so many years. We are very excited to welcome them to our Rugby family and look forward to the incredible guidance they will offer.
"Coaching and swimming has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. I have been a part of every step there is in a club. "
When asked about his coaching career, Sebastian said:
“I started out my coaching career in the learn to swim programs and today nearly 18 years later I have worked my way up as the Head Coach of Swimming Club Poseidon in Lund, Sweden. My biggest inspiration and source of information has been the journey with my wife as a professional swimmer and her four consecutive Olympic Games. The challenges and the success on the way has been both inspiring and educational. I know what it takes because I have lived 24/7 with a world class swimmer for over 13 years.
My Scandinavian coaching experience (Sweden, Denmark and Norway) and my Hungarian heritage has given me even more proof of the concept: “All roads lead to Rome”. Despite the cultural differences between the Scandinavian countries and Hungary, swimmers still get great results in the pool. As a coach, I have to do whatever I can to find the right pathway for every individual despite their differences. That’s the real challenge, and what I love about coaching. It’s dynamik…”
Sebastian Marko-Varga
Director of Aquatics
- Swim Teacher , age group 5-8 years of age – 2001-2003
- Swim Coach, Group E, D, and C (SK Ran, Malmö Sweden) – 2004-2006
- Swim Coach, Group B , Junior Elite Group (Sk Ran, Malmö Sweden) – 2006-2008
- Swim Coach, Group B (Age group) “KVIK”, Kastrup, Denmark – 2008-2009
- Assistant coach, Group A (Junior-Senior), “KVIK” Kastrup, Denmark – 2008-2009
- Assistant Head Coach, KVIK Kastrup, Denmark – 2012-2013
- Elite Coach, KVIK Kastrup, Denmark – 2014-2017
- Head Coach Swimming club Poseidon Lund, Sweden – 2017-2020
Ida Marko-Varga
Swimming Coach
- 4-time Olympic Finalist; Athens 2004 Olympics, Beijing 2008 Olympics, London 2012 Olympics, Rio De Janeiro 2016 Olympics
- Youngest swimmer in Swedish history (13 years) to win a Swedish senior swimming championship, 1998 in Sundsvall.
- Been part of the Swedish Senior Swimming Team for over 18 years.
- Multiple medals at the European and World Championships
- Trained Mental Trainer Practitioner. Within the last term to become a licensed Mental Trainer.
- Youth and Junior Coach the last 10 years
