Selection Criteria

To be eligible for SWAS programs, athletes must meet the following eligibility criteria:

1. 
   Athlete compete in sports and events that are able to contribute to SWAS goals or Australian International Success but are not eligible to join a SWAS Partner Sport Program (Reference AIS Sports Tally in Appendix 1 for approved sports and guidelines below*)
   
2. 
   Meet the criteria in one of the four SWAS athlete categories;
   
3. 
   Be an Australian citizen;
   
4. 
   Permanently reside in the South West region within one of its 12 local government authorities: City of Bunbury, Shires of Harvey, Collie, Dardanup, Capel, Donnybrook-Balingup, Busselton, Boyup Brook, Bridgetown-Greenbushes, Augusta-Margaret River, Manjimup and Nannup (athletes who board in Perth are ineligible);
   
5. 
   Be a current registered member of a club or association that is affiliated with the SSA and operates within the SW region;
   
6. 
   Be 14 – 18 years of age** (as at the 1^st July);
   
7. 
   Demonstrate, through past performance within the last 12 months or potential capacity, the ability to improve performance to a high level; and
   
8. 
   Be endorsed by the NSO (National State Organisation) or SSA (State Sporting Association).
   

1. 
   Events on the Olympic, Paralympic and Commonwealth Games programs; and
   
2. 
   Sports of National Significance; and
   
3. 
   World Championship Sports.
   

• 
  Winning Edge performance case submission and associated panel report (removed)
  
• 
  High performance planning and reporting template
  
• 
  2013 benchmark event reports (2014 benchmark event reports)
  
• 
  2013 ASPR (2014 ASPR)
  
• 
  2013 performance summary report (2014 performance summary report)
  

Basketball Australia has been rated as progressing for both Olympic and Paralympic disciplines. Basketball Australia’s high performance programs are led by quality head coaches who have targeted the required changes in culture in the first two years of the Olympiad. This resulted in mixed outcomes in terms of 2014 benchmark event targets; the Opals and Rollers met their targets with bronze and gold medals respectively but the Boomers and Gliders missed their targets. Anthony Moore commenced as CEO of Basketball Australia in October 2014 and has board approval to implement an organisation-wide restructure (to be implemented in the first quarter of 2015).

The Athletics Australia high performance program has been rated as progressing, while the para-athletics program has been rated as on track. The highly publicised departure of the Athletics Australia national head coach during the Glasgow Commonwealth Games was poorly timed and unhelpful for the sport’s image. Despite this distraction there were solid performances from a number of athletes — including Sally Pearson, Kimberley Mickle, Alana Boyd, Michael Shelley and Dani Samuels.

The Athletics Australia and ASC reviews following the Commonwealth Games reflect the wide-ranging challenges across the sport. It is expected the outcomes and recommendations of the reviews will provide athletics with a positive and productive way forward. The high performance unit at Athletics Australia continues to develop and implement strategies to improve the accountability, monitoring and coordination of support to its athletes. The sport is pursuing the appointment of a new head coach and performance services manager as a matter of urgency, with both roles being critical to achieving high performance outcomes in the future. There are a number of promising emerging athletes with podium potential, and this year’s world championships will provide insight into the performance potential in the pre-Olympic and Paralympic year.

Australian Canoeing has been rated as progressing (Olympic) and on track (Paralympic). Canoe slalom met its Australia’s Winning Edge target with a gold medal in the women’s K1 event at the world championships, which was complemented by a promising fifth place in the men’s event. However, beyond these performances — and an Olympic qualifying standard in the men’s C1 — few athletes met their targets/expectations at this event.

Rowing Australia has been rated as progressing (Olympic) and performing (Paralympic). Rowing Australia did not meet its 2014 world championships gold medal target in Olympic-class boats. While there is some caution around this result, there is evidence that with eight boats finishing in the top five — and four of them with medals — rowing is positioned to achieve its Rio 2016 targets.

Australian Rugby Union's (ARU) 7s program has been rated as progressing (men) and on track (women). The women’s and men’s teams improved significantly in the 2014 International Rugby Board (IRB) series. The women’s team finished second to world champions New Zealand, and the team’s 2–2 win/loss record in finals makes them a gold medal prospect for Rio 2016. The men’s team won a bronze medal at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games and are improving; however, they will need to continue this trajectory to meet their Rio medal expectations. AIS and ARU 7s have started an AIS Talent Transfer program, which is looking for new female talent to feed the program. The ARU has also expanded competitions and coach development areas since last year.

Surf Life Saving Australia (SLSA) has been rated as progressing. After being defeated as overall point-score champions for the first time at the 2012 world championships, SLSA put in place a focused campaign for 2014. This was part of a restructure of the high performance program, including a new high performance team.

Surfing Australia has been rated as excelling. The 2014 women’s surfing world tour saw three Australians — Stephanie Gilmore, Tyler Wright and Sally Fitzgibbons — in the running for the title. Gilmore did enough in the last event to win her sixth world title, holding off Wright who repeated her second-place performance from 2013. Fitzgibbons slipped off the podium into fourth place.

Triathlon Australia has been rated as progressing for both Olympic and Paralympic disciplines. Triathlon Australia did not have a successful 2014 season; it did not reach its benchmark event targets at the ITU World Triathlon in Edmonton or at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. The sport recognises that while the male athletes improved, more is expected from them and that the female cohort slipped from the high levels expected of them. There were, however, some encouraging under-23 and under-20 medal performances at the world championships.

Volleyball Australia has been rated as progressing for both Olympic and Paralympic disciplines. The Australian team benefited from competition exposure in the FIVB Volleyball Word League in 2014. They played in the finals and qualified for the first division in 2015 — a first for Australia — and achieved their best ever finish at the world championships by finishing equal 15th (though missing their Volleyball Australia benchmark event target of 4–8th). While this performance is to be applauded relative to the team’s past record, Volleyball Australia’s target of a medal in Rio appears ambitious.

Beach volleyball achieved its benchmark event targets for 2014 through the efforts of a men’s and women’s pair. This combined set of performances suggests Olympic qualification is a possibility for both male and female pairs, but a medal will require much work to achieve consistently high performances. Volleyball Australia also won the 2014 world under-23 women’s championships and Asian men’s and women’s senior titles.

P/C IASP ADMIN 03/13 SWAS Individual Athlete Support Program Application Form Page of 10