diff --git a/ott/core/sinkhorn.py b/ott/core/sinkhorn.py
index 9c0c38144..7cbc8172a 100644
--- a/ott/core/sinkhorn.py
+++ b/ott/core/sinkhorn.py
@@ -14,11 +14,12 @@
 
 # Lint as: python3
 """A Jax implementation of the Sinkhorn algorithm."""
-from typing import Any, Callable, NamedTuple, Optional, Sequence, Tuple
+from typing import Any, Callable, Mapping, NamedTuple, Optional, Sequence, Tuple, Union
 
 import jax
 import jax.numpy as jnp
 import numpy as np
+from typing_extensions import Literal
 
 from ott.core import anderson as anderson_lib
 from ott.core import fixed_point_loop
@@ -335,11 +336,12 @@ class Sinkhorn:
       gradients have been stopped. This is useful when carrying out first order
       differentiation, and is only valid (as with ``implicit_differentiation``)
       when the algorithm has converged with a low tolerance.
+    initializer: how to compute the initial potentials/scalings.
+    kwargs_init: keyword arguments when creating the initializer.
     jit: if True, automatically jits the function upon first call.
       Should be set to False when used in a function that is jitted by the user,
       or when computing gradients (in which case the gradient function
       should be jitted by the user)
-    initializer: how to compute the initial potentials/scalings.
   """
 
   def __init__(
@@ -356,7 +358,9 @@ def __init__(
       use_danskin: Optional[bool] = None,
       implicit_diff: Optional[implicit_lib.ImplicitDiff
                              ] = implicit_lib.ImplicitDiff(),  # noqa: E124
-      initializer: init_lib.SinkhornInitializer = init_lib.DefaultInitializer(),
+      initializer: Union[Literal["default", "gaussian", "sorting"],
+                         init_lib.SinkhornInitializer] = "default",
+      kwargs_init: Optional[Mapping[str, Any]] = None,
       jit: bool = True
   ):
     self.lse_mode = lse_mode
@@ -377,6 +381,7 @@ def __init__(
     self.implicit_diff = implicit_diff
     self.parallel_dual_updates = parallel_dual_updates
     self.initializer = initializer
+    self.kwargs_init = {} if kwargs_init is None else kwargs_init
     self.jit = jit
 
     # Force implicit_differentiation to True when using Anderson acceleration,
@@ -408,7 +413,8 @@ def __call__(
     Returns:
       The Sinkhorn output.
     """
-    init_dual_a, init_dual_b = self.initializer(
+    initializer = self.create_initializer()
+    init_dual_a, init_dual_b = initializer(
         ot_prob, *init, lse_mode=self.lse_mode
     )
     run_fn = jax.jit(run) if self.jit else run
@@ -578,6 +584,20 @@ def norm_error(self) -> Tuple[int, ...]:
       return self._norm_error, 1
     return self._norm_error,
 
+  # TODO(michalk8): in the future, enforce this (+ in GW) via abstract method
+  def create_initializer(self) -> init_lib.SinkhornInitializer:
+    if isinstance(self.initializer, init_lib.SinkhornInitializer):
+      return self.initializer
+    if self.initializer == "default":
+      return init_lib.DefaultInitializer()
+    if self.initializer == "gaussian":
+      return init_lib.GaussianInitializer()
+    if self.initializer == "sorting":
+      return init_lib.SortingInitializer(**self.kwargs_init)
+    raise NotImplementedError(
+        f"Initializer `{self.initializer}` is not yet implemented."
+    )
+
   def tree_flatten(self):
     aux = vars(self).copy()
     aux['norm_error'] = aux.pop('_norm_error')
diff --git a/tests/core/initializers_test.py b/tests/core/initializers_test.py
index 6c8d9336a..15d8c4316 100644
--- a/tests/core/initializers_test.py
+++ b/tests/core/initializers_test.py
@@ -133,6 +133,30 @@ def init_gaus():
     _ = init_gaus()
     _ = init_sort()
 
+  @pytest.mark.parametrize(
+      "init", [
+          "default", "gaussian", "sorting",
+          init_lib.DefaultInitializer(), "non-existent"
+      ]
+  )
+  def test_create_initializer(self, init: str):
+    solver = sinkhorn.Sinkhorn(initializer=init)
+    expected_types = {
+        "default": init_lib.DefaultInitializer,
+        "gaussian": init_lib.GaussianInitializer,
+        "sorting": init_lib.SortingInitializer,
+    }
+
+    if isinstance(init, init_lib.SinkhornInitializer):
+      assert solver.create_initializer() is init
+    elif init == "non-existent":
+      with pytest.raises(NotImplementedError, match=r""):
+        _ = solver.create_initializer()
+    else:
+      actual = solver.create_initializer()
+      expected_type = expected_types[init]
+      assert isinstance(actual, expected_type)
+
   @pytest.mark.parametrize(
       "vector_min, lse_mode", [(True, True), (True, False), (False, True)]
   )
@@ -267,10 +291,9 @@ def test_gauss_initializer(self, lse_mode, rng: jnp.ndarray):
       assert base_num_iter >= gaus_num_iter
 
 
-# TODO(michalk8): mark tests as fast
 class TestLRInitializers:
 
-  @pytest.mark.parametrize("kind", ["pc", "lrc", "geom"])
+  @pytest.mark.fast.with_args("kind", ["pc", "lrc", "geom"], only_fast=0)
   def test_create_default_initializer(self, rng: jnp.ndarray, kind: str):
     n, d, rank = 110, 2, 3
     x = jax.random.normal(rng, (n, d))
@@ -340,7 +363,7 @@ def test_partial_initialization(
     else:
       raise NotImplementedError(partial_init)
 
-  @pytest.mark.parametrize("rank", [2, 4, 10, 13])
+  @pytest.mark.fast.with_args("rank", [2, 4, 10, 13], only_fast=True)
   def test_generalized_k_means_has_correct_rank(
       self, rng: jnp.ndarray, rank: int
   ):