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1. OLYMPIC
QUALIFICATION
In order of any athlete to
qualify for the Olympic Games they must achieve one of two things.
They must either be ranked in the Top 125 of the ITU Rankings or win
selection through their Regional Selection Race(1 place only).
Relying on gaining selection in the Regional Qualifier is extremely risky
due to the nature of the sport (i.e. bike mishaps, sickness, injury etc.).
Therefore it is our intention to pursue a ranking in the top 125 to ensure
selection
2. ASIAN
GAMES
In 2006, triathlon will be one
of the sports to be included in the Asian Games to be held in Doha /
Qatar. The Indian Triathlon Academy will develop a plan to ensure
that athletes competing in these games make a very strong showing and a
medal is gained from this meet. This event will be major focus for
the Academy in the years leading up to this event. To support this
plan, Academy athletes will significantly work towards a strong showing at
Asian Championships each year as we attempt to become a leading triathlon
nation in Asia.
3.
INTERNATIONAL TRIATHLON UNION RANKINGS
The above rankings for
International athletes are determined from points gained at World Cup
Races, appointed ITU Points Races and World & Regional Championships.
To ensure that Indian athletes gain sufficient ranking points for Olympic
Qualification, and gain valuable race experience, a full International
Racing Schedule including a number of these events will be developed to
meet these goals.
4. SUPPORT
PROGRAM
Triathlon is a demanding and
grueling endurance sport with 3 disciplines, using most of the body at a
hig intensity and as such has a injury rate. It is important that a
Sports Medicine Program is in place to ensure that Academy athletes are
able to train and race at the intensity required to meet the goals of the
Academy.
Further to this, triathlon is
an expensive sport requiring good bicyles that need constant servicing and
replacement of parts by well-trained specialists to ensure good
performances. The Academy will develop a program not only to ensure
specialists are available to perform these tasks, but also train local
personnel to carry out these tasks.
There are also a number of
other products required, such as running gear, training aids and
nutritional products, to meet the goals and complete on par with other
International athletes who have ready access to these products. A
plan to have easy, inexpensive access to these products will be initiated.
5. OVERSEAS
TRAINING AND COMPETITION BASES
Due to the large distance
between India and the greater percentage of International Races, along
with the prohibitive cost of flying to and from India for these races, it
will be important to establish 2 overseas Training Bases. This will
give Academy athletes the opportunity to prepare properly for
International events without the problems associated with constant long
distance travel. It is anticipated that bases will be established in
Australia for the southern hemisphere summer and calendar of events and
another in Canada for the northern hemisphere summer competition.
Both of these bases will give Academy athletes easy to many International
events along with ideal training facilities not readily available in
India.
6.
RECRUITMENT AND DEVELOPMENT
For any Elite Athlete Program
to be successful, the recruitment and development of talented athletes is
crucial. Currently a program of Aquathlon Events is conducted to
identify talent and offer scholarships at the Indian Triathlon Academy.
A Talent Identification Program run through schools is required to
identify talent between the ages of 10 -14. Following this, a
program run by the Indian Triathlon Academy but administered by State
Coaches and Administrators must be initiated to nurture this talent until
the athlete is selected into the National Triathlon Academy.
As the athletes in residence
at the Indian Triathlon Academy need to dedicate themselves to full time
training, it is important that a program is developed to ensure that
athletes once selected in the Academy are either able to pursue and
continue their education or receive training while residing at the
Academy. This will ensure that will have good employment prospects
once their athletic careers are over.
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