Routes to sporting excellence

• UK Sport

  • invest national lottery funds and income from central government to maximise performance at Olympic + paraOlympic Games and global success
  • Only work with elite performers
  • Development (funding + supporting)
• Role of UK Sport in developing elite sport

  • Talent ID
  • Hosting of competitive events
  • Organisation and promotion of campaigns to fast track future medalists into right sports
  • Development of warm weather training and acclimatisation
  • Ensure athletes have access to high performance training facilities
  • Support : £36,000 - £60,000 per athletes per year at podium level
• Talent ID


  Programmes to search for talent among general public/ clubs

  1. Phase 1 : physical skill based tests (sprints, jumps, aerobic fitness, strength tests)
  2. Phase 2 + 3 : athletes suitability, preparation for training + development (physical + medical screening, performance lifestyle workshops, psychological assessments)
  3. Phase 4 : confirmation phase ( selected athletes train 6-12 months in specific sports elite training environment, athletes continually assessed, rate of progress recorded
• Darren Campbell 


  Talent ID

  • athletics to semi pro football to athletics via talent id programme to win 4 x 100m relay at olympics (gold)
• Lizzy Yarnolds 


  Talent ID (Girls4Gold)

  • She was picked to take part in skeleton talent ID programme (G4G)
  • First British slider to hold grand slam titles (Olympic, World, European champion) at same time
• World Class Programme 


  Covers all sports in summer + winter olympics and paraolympics

  2 Levels

  1. Podium level : supporting athletes with realistic medal winning capabilities at the next games
  2. Podium potential : supporting athletes whose performances suggest they have realistic medal winning capabilities at subsequent games

  Ensures athletes get ; coaching, training + competition support. Access to top quality facilities + technology delivered to home country institutes
• World class programme case study

  (British skeleton athletes)

  • Relatively unknown Olympic sport to much better high quality sport
  • WCP produced talent capable of representing GB at all levels of international competition
  • Overall success: 13 different athletes on WCP won 76 medals between 2006 + 2010
• Athlete Performance Award (APA)

  • Gives money to athletes to help fund their living + personal sporting cost. Allocated where there's greatest financial need
  • Level of APA determined by e.g. level of performance an athlete has achieved and is capable of producing in the future. Can receive extra £28,000 per year
• Role of national institutes in developing elite sport 


  Ran by UK Sport

  • Each country making up UK has national institution of sport
  • Provides sports science and technological help to elite sportspeople
  • Worked with eg Mo Farah, Jessica Ennis Hill
• Role of national institutes in developing elite sport (2)

  • Provide world class performance environments (eg Olympic swimming pool at Bath Uni)
  • Provide Talent ID (eg #Discover your gold)
  • Give sports science support eg nutrition
  • Provide research
  • Provide medical support (eg physio therapy)
  • Provide technology (eg sports wheelchairs)
• Role of Schools contributing to elite sporting success 


  Schools can offer :

  • Strong PE programmes
  • Strong links with clubs
  • Strong + wide ranging extra curricular programmes including competitive fixtures
  • Courses for sport and PE (eg GCSE, A Level, BTEC)
• Role of Sports Clubs in contributing to elite sports 


  Sports clubs can offer :

  • High quality coaching
  • Equipment + facilities to play
  • Nurture + encourage talent
  • Organised leagues + fixtures through NGB’s who manage specific sport
  • Assist in talent identification
• Role of Universities in contributing to elite sporting success

  • award scholarships + bursaries (can train while studying)
  • Share facilities as centre of excellence for elite performers
  • High quality world class training
  • Very high level of competition
  • Undergraduate + postgraduate funding through Talented Athlete Scholarship Programme (TASS)
• Why do people drop out of elite sports?

  • Poor performance
  • Injury
  • Pressure from media
  • Pressure from outside sport (eg family commitments)
  • Stress (eg from financial impact of training)
• Strategies to address athletes dropping out

  • advice of jobs / future careers
  • Lifestyle component coach (helps them understand pressure + demands of elite sport)
  • Work close with coaches / support specialists to minimise concerns
  • Performance lifestyle advisors to support them with eg dealing with media
  • Psychological support + medical intervention
• Stages of Talent id

  • Phase 1 : skill based + physical tests
  • Phase 2-3 : medical screening, psychological assessment
  • Phase 4 : 6-12 months of training in specific elite training environment