Programme overview
Introduction:
High-performance sport management, covering athlete pathways, talent ID and sports science, is the subject of this 5-day course for federation performance directors, academy heads and Olympic committee staff, who produce a federation high-performance plan. Many federations still select on early results, run sports science services in silos and hold monitoring data without clear rules, so promising athletes drop out and integrity risks go unmanaged. Nominees already lead squads, academies or performance services, and teaching is by case study on real pathway, testing and monitoring files. CoreConcept Training Center delivers this high-performance sport management course.
Course Objectives:
- Diagnose a federation's high-performance system against podium targets, athlete numbers and pathway leakage
- Map athlete pathways to long-term development stages from learning to train through training to win
- Design talent identification and confirmation processes that correct for maturation and relative age bias
- Structure a sports science and medicine unit with clear service roles, referral rules and performance measures
- Govern athlete monitoring data and anti-doping duties including whereabouts, therapeutic use exemptions and education
- Build a multi-cycle high-performance plan with funding priorities and review points for a case federation
Target Audience:
- Managers who lead a national federation's performance department and squad selection
- Heads of youth and elite academies responsible for athlete progression and coaching standards
- Multi-sport committee staff who fund, review and support member federation performance
- Leaders of sports science, medicine and performance support services
- Talent and pathway managers who run identification camps, testing days and development squads
Course Outline:
Day 1: High-Performance System Foundations and Current-State Diagnosis
- High-Performance System Components From Participation Base to Podium
- Medal Target Setting and Sport Prioritisation Funding Logic
- Pathway Leakage Analysis Across Junior and Senior Squads
- Stakeholder Map of Federations, Academies, Clubs and Committees
- Federation Performance Health Check Using a Diagnostic Scorecard
Day 2: Athlete Development Models and Talent Identification Frameworks
- Long-Term Development Framework Stages and Their Training Emphases
- Early Specialisation Versus Sampling Pathways Evidence Review
- Talent Identification Battery Design With Physical and Technical Tests
- Maturation Adjustment Using Peak Height Velocity Estimates
- Relative Age Effect Detection and Selection Correction Methods
Day 3: Sports Science Unit Design and Performance Support Delivery
- Performance Support Team Structure and Discipline Role Definitions
- Strength and Conditioning, Nutrition and Psychology Service Planning
- Performance Analysis Workflow From Video Coding to Coach Debrief
- Interdisciplinary Athlete Case Conference and Individual Performance Plans
- Service Level Agreements Between Science Unit and Squad Coaches
Day 4: Athlete Monitoring Governance, Anti-Doping and Integrity Risk
- Training Load and Wellness Monitoring Metric Selection
- Athlete Data Consent, Access Rights and Retention Rules
- World Anti-Doping Code Duties for Federations and Support Staff
- Whereabouts Filing, Therapeutic Use Exemptions and Education Planning
- Talent Confirmation Errors, Deselection Handling and Athlete Welfare Safeguards
Day 5: Case Study Building a Federation High-Performance Plan
- Case Federation Pathway Audit and Stage Gap Findings
- Case Talent Identification Redesign With Maturation Corrections
- Case Science Unit Staffing and Service Prioritisation Decisions
- Monitoring and Anti-Doping Controls Register for the Case Squad
- Federation High-Performance Plan Completion and Panel Review
Skills You Will Gain:
- High-Performance System Diagnosis
- Athlete Pathway Mapping
- Talent Testing Battery Design
- Maturation and Relative Age Correction
- Performance Support Team Structuring
- Athlete Data Governance
- Anti-Doping Risk Control
- Multi-Cycle Performance Planning
Why Attend This Course:
- Deliver a Federation High-Performance Plan to the board, technical committee and funding body
- Decide which athletes to confirm, hold or deselect using evidence rather than early results alone
- Avoid anti-doping breaches, data disputes and athlete dropout that cost medals and funding
- Coach academy staff and support specialists on the shared pathway, testing and monitoring rules
Conclusion:
Back at work, the participant presents the Federation High-Performance Plan to the board, technical committee and funding partners, who use it to approve squad selection rules, science unit staffing and investment priorities for the next competition cycle. Academy and support staff apply the testing and monitoring rules from the plan. After the first selection round and testing period, the performance department should review athlete retention, test reliability and anti-doping education records, then adjust pathway gates and service priorities accordingly.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ):
What should participants know before a high-performance sport management course on athlete pathways and talent ID?
Participants should already lead a squad, academy, testing programme or performance service. No sports science degree is needed. Bringing anonymised selection criteria, testing results or a squad structure from their organisation helps during the case study.
How does this high-performance sport management course differ from a club governance and sport finance course?
It focuses on how athletes are found, developed and supported toward elite results, through pathways, testing, science services and anti-doping controls. A governance and finance course deals with boards, statutes, revenue and wage budgets rather than athlete development.
Why does talent identification in high-performance sport need to correct for maturation and relative age?
Early maturing athletes and those born early in the selection year often look stronger as juniors, so uncorrected selection overlooks late developers. Adjusting test scores for maturation and tracking birth-month spread keeps the talent pool wider and fairer.
What do participants take back to work from the high-performance sport management course?
Participants take back a federation high-performance plan, a pathway stage map, a talent testing design with maturation corrections, a science unit service structure and a monitoring and anti-doping controls register.