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Posted by Sha
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The IAAF President, Lamine Diack, has set the goal for the IAAF that there should be at least one athlete of each Member Federation capable of achieving the ‘B’ Qualification Standard for the World Championships in Athletics or the Olympic Games. This is an ambitious objective considering the level of the performances to be achieved and the fact that about one third of the IAAF Member Federations have yet to achieve this level of performance.
The IAAF has established a scholarship programme, the IAAF ‘B’ Standard Programme, which will enable athletes who have the potential but lack the appropriate athletics environment to develop their competitive performance. By training in appropriate conditions and with provision of the necessary support that may not be available in the athlete’s own country they will be prepared to, at minimum, achieve the ‘B’ Standard.
Application for Singapore athletes
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Please submit your interest to SAA.
Only application submitted via National Federations (SAA) who deemed eligible are allowed.
Those athletes who are selected will receive a 1-year scholarship to train at one of 9 IAAF High Performance Training Centres (HPTC), the next season starting from November 2013. Athletes should be under 23 years of age and be close to the Entry Standards as stated in the Guidelines below.
The Scholarship Programme
The scholarship programmes is designed for those athletes who fulfil the following profile:
- Have achieved a performance that is close to the current IAAF World Championships ‘B’ standard
- Be available to move to and reside at a Centre that is determined to be the most suitable venue for the athlete’s programme.
- Have no current commitments that would preclude them from attending the Centre for the period of the programme.
In order to apply for an IAAF scholarship certain entry standards have been defined (see Appendix 1). You should note that the IAAF will give preference to athletes in the ‘Under 23’ age category.
After considering the competition results, statistical data and profile evaluation of the athlete, those deemed to have a chance to achieve the ‘B’ Standard in an event will be offered a scholarship in one of 3 programmes:
- Short Term programme – Those who are close to the set objective could participate in short term preparation, usually accompanied by their personal coach (3 months duration).
- Medium Term programme – Designed for athletes who have the potential to achieve the ‘B’ Standard with one year of specific preparation (one year duration).
- Long Term programme – Athletes currently under the age of 23 who obviously need longer time to achieve the ‘B’ Standard will be offered this programme (maximum of two years duration).
In all three programmes, the IAAF will ensure access to adequate facilities, coaching and competition as detailed below.
The duration of a scholarship is limited to a maximum of up to one year at one time. As the scholarship approaches its conclusion the behaviour and performance development of the athlete are evaluated by the IAAF. Based on the results of this evaluation, the scholarship may be extended by another period, not to exceed a total scholarship period of two years.
IAAF scholarship holders are obliged to take up their scholarships at IAAF institutions, either IAAF High Performance Training Centres (HPTCs) or IAAF Accredited Training Centres (ATCs). A list of the IAAF institutions can be found on the IAAF Website (sub-section ‘Development’). The IAAF will decide in cooperation with the National Federation and the athlete, which of the IAAF institutions is best equipped, coaching-wise, for the athlete’s training needs.
At the IAAF institutions the following provisions are guaranteed to scholarship athletes:
- Full board and accommodation
- Health insurance
- Coaching services by specialised coaches
- Travel to local competitions
- Travel to/from IAAF institution at the beginning and at the end of scholarship
- Basic physiotherapeutic services
- A small, monthly financial allowance
