Judo Australia has updated its Athlete Categorisation Guidelines, which have been updated to reflect the latest requirements from the Australian Sports Commission (ASC).
The major changes are summarised as follows:
Reference to ‘AWE Categorisation’ has been removed throughout the document. The principle for funding allocation remains the same, but the ASC have ceased usage of the term ‘AWE’
Timeframes for the different categories have been tightened. For example, in the past an athlete categorised as Podium Potential had four years to reach the top 8 at a benchmark event, but under the new guidelines this time has been reduced to two years. This change is in line with the ASC Categorisation Guidelines.
KPIs for each category have been defined more clearly, making it easier for athletes and coaches to understand which category they fit into (if any)
Going forward JA categorised athletes are required to maintain their own private health insurance. Injures are unfortunately part of elite sport and having private hospital cover will ensure that athletes can have access to the private system when required to best facilitate fast and effective recovery
A new category, International, has been added for athletes who are not on the Podium Pathway to a Benchmark event medal but qualify to represent Australia at the Senior World Championships
With Judo becoming a core sport at the Commonwealth Games from 2022, we have established the Commonwealth Games Gold category. This category however will not be used until 2020, but the KPIs shown clearly define who could fall under this category in two years time and can be used as a goal setting tool for many of our current young athletes
The next round of Athlete Categorisation will take place in the last week of May and will be applicable for the July to December 2018 period. Questions regarding the updated Categorisation Guidelines should be directed to Maria.Pekli@ausjudo.com.au.