Athlete Categorisation
What is Athlete Categorisation?
Athlete Categorisation is a process undertaken by all sports/disciplines that are funded by the Australian Insitute of Sport (AIS) to deliver performance results at major events.
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Using national agreed guidelines developed by the AIS and supported all State Insitute and Academies of Sports, the aim of Athlete Categorisation is to have a nationally consistent approach for sports to:
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Identify the athletes with the greatest potential to contribute to Australia consistently winning medals at major international events.
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Identify, track and prioritise athletes at each stage of the Performance Pathway.
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Inform the prioritisation of support to these athletes.
What is different for the LA Olympic/Paralympic Performance Cycle?
For the Los Angeles 2028 performance cycle, national sporting organisations are required to develop an updated approach to Athlete Categorisation.
The critical change from the Paris performance cycle an elevated focus on performance potential criteria when categorising athletes.
There will be a greater reliance on each sports What it Takes to Win (WITTW) and Athlete Development Frameworks (ADF) to ensure all athlete categorisation decisions are supported by evidence.
Further information on the AIS Athlete Categorisation Framework and requirements can be found here.
When Will Skate Australia release its new Skateboarding Categorisation Policy?
The Skate Australia Athlete Categorisation Policy is currently being developed in alignment the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) National Athlete Categorisation Guidelines.
It will be submitted to the AIS for approval in April and as soon as it has been approved it will be made publicly available of the Skate Australia website.
When do Skate Australia expect to call for nominations for Athlete Categorisation and make Athlete Categorisation decisions?
For the LA Cycle it is highly likely that Athlete Categorisation will be an annual process.
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All athletes that are currently categorised will be assessed in November of each year.
New athletes wishing to be categorised for the first time will be given the opportunity to apply for categorisation in October of each year.
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Further information on Skate Australia’s Athlete Categorisation approach, assessment criteria, timing and athlete eligibility requirements will be part of the new policy.