15/02/2024
Below is an excerpt from an article I wrote for the News Diggers in March 2023 on the importance of athlete selection policies.
An Athlete Selection Policy governs the rationale for decisions that are made in selecting athletes’ inclusion in a team, event or programme. It provides clear guidance and understanding of the criteria that sport organisations or team ought to follow to ensure transparency in the selection of athletes. Athlete Selection Policies protect the rights of the athlete as well as those involved in the selection process such as coaches.
The aim of the policy is to ensure all athletes receive an equal opportunity to be selected to participate in the said event, programme or competition provided they have satisfied the necessary selection criteria.
Additionally, an athlete selection policy provides a fair and unbiased selection process, which facilitates the selection of the best team of athletes who will potentially achieve the best results when representing a team or country.
There are many benefits attributable to a sound athlete selection policy. However, many countries and sport organisations operate without such policies rendering their selection of athletes problematic and ineffective. Absence of selection policies can have the following consequences:
1. Selection of athletes without the potential to perform favourably or win medals in competitions.
2. Dissatisfaction and chaos among members of sports bodies including athletes.
3. Lawsuits by athletes affected by a lack of a proper selection process.
4. Loss of public confidence in a particular team or sport organisation.
Many African countries have no National Athlete Selection Policies that guide overarching sport organisations such as the National Olympic Committees (NOCs) and Sports Councils on effective strategies for selecting the right athletes with potential to win medals in competitions.
To complement Athlete Selection Policies, Sport Prioritisation policies must be established to ensure only sport codes that meet national and international regulations and are in good standing participate in competitions especially those funded by governments or NOCs.