Sports Draft 2013 - Lessons learned from Combat

The AIS Sports Draft is a Talent Transfer program, providing fast-track development opportunities in Olympic sports to outstanding athletes interested in transferring from other sports. Launched as part of the Australia’s Winning Edge strategy, the first AIS Sports Draft took place between October and December 2013, focused on identifying athletes demonstrating outstanding potential for success in the Olympic combat sports of Boxing and Judo.

Using practices refined over 20 years of AIS talent identification work and influenced by Australian Defence Force Special Forces selection methodology, a strong emphasis was placed on identifying athletes who displayed excellence in physical fitness, high skill-learning potential and outstanding character traits. From over 250 applicants, only 12 were selected to be fast-tracked into a 12-month development program, featuring expert coaching and training designed to accelerate their transition to high-performance boxing and judo programs. In this presentation, the multi-disciplinary AIS Sports Draft Team will present a snapshot of the Sports Draft 2013 selection process and on-going athlete development program, reflecting on lessons learned that can be applied to future iterations of the AIS Sports Draft.