Principles and procedures of a talent identification programme

Abstract

This paper discusses two approaches which have been taken to Talent Identification in Australia. One approach has been aimed specifically at the selection of adolescents from a limited age band for induction into a programme of intense training in the sport of rowing, with the intention of bringing the subjects to a high level of competitiveness within a comparatively short space of time. Physical and physiological characteristics have been the principal factors influencing selection. The other approach has been aimed at the general population of school children with the main purpose of guiding individuals into broad areas of sport, by eliciting from them their preferences for activities with particular characteristics. Physical and physiological characteristics are utilised to narrow the range of sports to which an individual would be most suited, with the belief that the increased likelihood of success would enhance the probability of continued participation. Encouragernent of participation for enjoyment has been the principle objective of the programme. Though the objective of the second programme is currently different from the first, it is likely that one aim of the second programme will become that of the identification of individuals with the range of characteristics possessed by athletes who have reached high levels of achievement in their sport.