Judo Australia has updated its Athlete Categorisation Guidelines, which has been brought in line with the latest requirements from the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS).
The major changes are summarised as follows:
Potential Emerging Category and International Category have been removed as they are no longer recognised by the AIS.
Commonwealth Games Medal Potential category has been added under the Non-Podium Pathway Category to recognise the fact that some athletes who are not on the Olympic Pathway are able to achieve medal success at the Commonwealth Games.
Timeframes for each categories have been altered to reflect the average progression of judo athletes. In the past the timeframe was strictly prescribed by the AIS and was not fully reflective of the average pathway of judo athletes. This change was possible because the AIS has recognised that each sport has a unique progression timeframe to Olympic medal success.
A time in category column has been added to reflect the expected timeframe for progression.
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).
The next round of Athlete Categorisation will take place in the last week of November 2020 and will be applicable for the January to December 2021 period. There will be a mid-year review by exception in May 2021. Questions regarding the updated Categorisation Guidelines should be directed to hp@ausjudo.com.au.