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UK Sport Launches ?MISSION 2012?
09/05/2007 |
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British sport?s progress towards its Olympic and Paralympic ambitions for 2012 will be more effectively monitored and evaluated than ever before thanks to a major new project announced yesterday by UK Sport, the nation?s high performance sports agency.
?Mission 2012? has been developed to help each Summer Olympic and Paralympic sport understand how it is progressing against certain key criteria and identify anything that might stand in the way of success in 2012. The information will be published quarterly on a sport by sport basis.
The system was unveiled at a meeting of all Summer Olympic National Governing Bodies (NGBs) held yesterday in London, by John Steele, UK Sport?s Chief Executive. He said:
?This is a major step forward in helping everyone involved in delivering sporting success in 2012 assess the overall state of the mission and give a true picture of whether we are on track, not just to meet our aspiration goals for medal success but also the longer term transformation of the UK Performance System. It will also provide UK Sport with a transparent means to demonstrate that public investment in elite sport is being spent effectively.?
To ensure objectivity and expert opinion on each sport, UK Sport has formed a dedicated Performance Panel that will assess the information available. Chaired by CEO John Steele, it contains performance experts from across UK Sport?s key partners and will meet quarterly, with the first meeting likely to be this Autumn. The members are:
? Liz Nicholl ? Director of Elite Sport, UK Sport
? Peter Keen ? Head of Performance, UK Sport
? Sir Clive Woodward ? Director of Performance, British Olympic Association
? Steve Cram ? Former Elite Athlete
? Rod Carr ? CEO of the RYA, UK Sport Board Member and former PD and Team GB Deputy Chef de Mission
Initially launched for Olympic sport, a similar scheme will be put in place for the Paralympics within the same timeframe and with a separate dedicated expert panel.
The new system monitors the essential three core areas of investment and activity:
? Athlete success and development
? The Performance system and structures
? Governance and leadership
Using a traffic light system, each sport will be benchmarked against its agreed aspiration for 2012. If scored green then progress is deemed to be on track; if amber then challenges have been identified that require attention or increased support. If the assessment is red, then the panel believes immediate remedial intervention is required and will make recommendations.
The results of each evaluation will then be captured on a giant ?Mission 2012? tracking board in UK Sport?s Headquarters in London ? with the overall status of the sport the main rating that will be visible. The board will be updated every quarter and will therefore give a regular and powerful visual representation of progress and areas of success and concern.
John Steele continued: ?Mission 2012 is an essential development at a critical time for British sport. Tremendous progress has been made by many sports over the past year, not least by those ?new? sports receiving funding for the first time. But we cannot afford to stand still for a moment and we need a way to shine a light on progress that is both objective and transparent, whilst facing up to the harsh reality of international competition. The Mission 2012 board will show that progress in stark relief, in a way that is easy for everyone involved to understand.
?The calibre of those sitting on the Performance Panel ? all of whom represent key partners - shows how serious we are about getting this right. Mission 2012 will be a means for UK Sport to continue to account for the substantial public investment now in place, but it is much more than that. It is a vision for how everyone involved in the mission through to 2012 and beyond needs to work collectively and ensure that we maximise this unique opportunity for British sport. There is no hiding place ? nor should there be.?
Speaking in support of UK Sport?s Mission 2012 initiative, Minister for Sport Richard Caborn added:
?We are investing a record amount of public money into elite sport as we strive to achieve medal success at the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and beyond.
?Given this investment it is vital that we know that sports are moving in the right direction on both performance and governance. ?Mission 2012? is an excellent way to do that and ensure our Olympic and Paralympic sportsmen and women are on track to deliver the success we expect.?
At the NGB meeting, UK Sport also outlined its proposals for recognising a network of ?Elite Training Centres? around the UK. The concept reflects the conclusion that the UK?s athletes need to have a clearer sense of location for their world class ambitions than is often currently the case. Such Centres must offer an environment in which athletes can experience a seamless integration of world-class coaching and training in appropriate facilities together with scientific and medical support, all backed-up with lifestyle and educational support systems that ensure their wider development.
Peter Keen, UK Sport?s Head of Performance, has masterminded the Elite Training Centres concept. He said:
?At the heart of the concept is the need to recognise what we already have, but also to look at how we can improve and develop the environments in which our elite athletes must operate. The UK already has a network for delivering Elite Sports Science and Sports Medicine provision through the English Institute of Sport and the Home Country Institutes. These can only be truly effective, however, if they can operate alongside athletes and coaches working on a daily basis in locations where world class training facilities and athlete accommodation and lifestyle support are available.
?Locations where all these essential ingredients can be found will be invited to ?bid? to become an UK Sport Elite Training Centre ? against criteria that reflect not only these ingredients but, more importantly, the operating policies and cooperative partnerships that must function in order for our best athletes to experience the ultimate supportive environment.
?In many ways, the establishment of a select number of Elite Training Centres is the final piece in the high performance jigsaw in the UK. Done well, they will create a superb long term environment for sports and athletes to train and live, whilst also providing the opportunity for the EIS in particular to establish its leading role in providing truly world class Sports Science and Sports Medicine services. It is an evolutionary step, taking what currently exists to the next level.?
(Source: UK Sport)
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