Programa de Solidaridad Olimpica 2005

UNIÓN PANAMERICANA DE JUDO		UNIÃO PANAMERICANA DE JUDÔ
PANAMERICAN JUDO UNION		UNION PANAMERICAINE DE JUDO

OFICINA DEL SECRETARIO GENERAL

Córdoba, 01 noviembre de 2005

2005 - 2008 Olimpic Solidarity Program

High-quality coaching is vital to an athlete’s preparation, which is why the role and training of coaches are decisive elements in the life of an athlete, whether at beginner or international level. The three programmes available are structured in such a way as to offer the NOCs the chance to train their national coaches in different ways and at different levels, in order to meet today’s athlete training requirements. The programmes are not substantially different from those of the previous quadrennial plan. For this reason, Olympic Solidarity is now looking to encourage the NOCs to create links between the different options and thereby increase the general level of training for coaches around the world. The programmes therefore provide basic training with technical courses for coaches, individual training in the form of scholarships and support at national level with the national sports structure development programme.

The main objective of this programme is to provide basic training to national coaches through courses led by an expert from another country appointed by an International Federation. This programme, which the NOCs have known about for a long time, focuses in particular on long-term planning of NOC training courses during the 2005-2008 quadrennial plan. The basic idea is to allow for a "standardisation" of the training given to coaches around the world, providing a quality and performance benchmark for NOCs and their national sports structures (national federations, sports club, etc.), as well as for athletes and coaches. This is also why the NOCs must organise the courses with respect to the rules established by the International Federations for this kind of training. The NOCs now have the opportunity to hold a maximum of 10 courses during the 2005-2008 period. The aim is to enable NOCs to organise the training given from one year to the next in a way that suits them best, and wherever possible to use the technical course programme to identify potential candidates for the coach scholarship programme. Higher-level courses (level 2 or 3) can also be held, but only for coaches who have already attended a course at the level below

Olympic Solidarity is looking to continue the training possibilities available during the last quadrennial, and at the same time offer increasingly specific solutions to NOC needs. This programme therefore offers coaches access to high-level further training, experience and knowledge, which they will then use to benefit their respective national sports structures. All candidates must belong to a national federation of a sport on the Olympic programme, hold the rank of official national coach recognised in their country of origin and/or by the respective International Federation, be able to prove that they have practical experience as a coach at national and/or international level and undertake to pass on their knowledge in order to continue developing their sport after receiving the training. NOCs have two possible options: training in sports sciences, which enables coaches to follow theoretical and practical training and thus obtain a high-level qualification, at university level in certain cases; and sportspecific training, organised by the NOC ("à la carte" training), for a three-month period on average. This allows coaches to refresh their knowledge and increase their practical experience in a specific sport. International Federations, universities, high-level training centres and recognised sports clubs work with Olympic Solidarity to host these coaches.

The development of sport in certain countries is often hindered by the fact that the national sport and coaching structure is disorganised or even non-existent. It is therefore vital that NOCs can develop their national sports structure by implementing a mid- to long-term action plan for a specific sport. This programme is designed to help them achieve this. During the 2005-2008 quadrennial plan, priority will be given to NOCs whose basic sports and coaching structure is weak but shows potential for development. NOCs will therefore be offered the opportunity to receive a coach from abroad for a period of 3 to 6 months, depending on the funds requested. The aim should be to establish coherent and realistic long-term development plans that provide training for coaches in particular, but also supporting elite sport, sport for all or talent identification, which was not the case during the past quadrennial plan. NOCs are therefore encouraged to combine this programme with the talent identification programme (see "Athletes programmes").