Applied coaching: talent identification
Title: Coursework
This assignment is intended to assess the following learning outcomes:
1. Identify the historical development of talent identification and excellence in sport
2. Analyse the criteria and factors contributing to excellence in sporting performance
Details of the task
Background: At the Atlanta 1996 Olympics team GB finished with a final medal total of one gold, eight silver, six bronze and thirty-sixth position in the medal table. In 2001, Cunningham suggested, in the Elite Sports Funding Review document, that radical steps needed to be taken if we were to create a world class system capable of producing consistent success in the international arena. In 2004 Team GB finished 10th in the medal table with a total of 9 gold medals. Four years later in Beijing (2008), Team GB continued its rapid progress finishing fourth with a total of 47 medals, 19 of them gold. Going into the London 2012 Olympics, the British Olympic Association set an “aspirational target” of fourth which was duly surpassed as Team GBs finished third with a total of 65 medals. 29 of them gold. In Rio, Team GB became the first country since the advent of the modern Olympic Games to surpass the host medal tally, finishing second above China with a total of 67 medals (27 gold, 23 silver and 17 bronze).
Task: Incorporating a wide range of academic sources critically analyse the factors of sporting excellence, including talent identification and talent development that contributed to the radical turnaround in team GBs 2016 Olympic success.
Essential areas to consider and include:
The historical development of talent identification and excellence in sport
The benchmarks and factors contributing to excellence in sporting performance
Other areas to consider (not an exhaustive list):
DCMS and associated agencies policy statements on elite level sport
Structure of elite sport and its development in the UK
Elite sport agencies – UK Sport, EIS, Sports Coach UK, NGB high performance sections
Sport Englands role in elite sport
Funding for elite performers
International comparisons
The relative success of different National Governing Bodies
