Long-term athletic development project in Kandy

By Upananda Jayasundera - Kandy Sports Special Corr

DEVELOPMENT OF ATHLETES: There is no doubt those associated with sports continue in earnest the performance excellence. Coaches, parents and athletes, in particular continuously search for answers to the following questions:

(a) What makes a champion athlete?,
(b) What factors in talent identification can be used?,
(c) What is the role of performance-based, long-term athlete development and assessment? and
(d) What is the role of sports medicine and technology in the development of skilled and empowered coaches who are responsible for creating environments conducive to performance excellence?

These are some of the questions that cropped at the 7th Medical Workshop organised by the Kandy District Sports Development Foundation held last Thursday at the Children’s Library.

Orthopaedic Surgeon Dr. Chanaka Wijesekera, Consultant Community Physician Dr. Gamini Jayakody and Dr. C.S. Warusawithana of Teaching Hospital, Peradeniya were the doctors in attendance.

Dr. C.S. Warusawithana said that long-term athlete development programme using proper systematic talent identification will help answer the above questions.

Talent has several properties that are genetically transmitted. Talent is not always evident at an early age, but trained people may be able to identify its existence by using certain markers. These early indiction of talent may provide a basis for predicting those individuals who have a reasonable chance of succeeding at a cater stage.

Very few individuals are talented in any single domain; indeed, if all children were equally gifted, there would be no means of discriminating or explaining differential success.

Furthermore, talent is specific to that particular domain. The complex nature of talent is highlighted by these principles. It is not surprising, that there is no consensus of opinion, nationally or internationally, regarding the theory, and practice of talent identification.

Talent identification refers to the process of recognising current participants with the potential to become elite players. It entails predicting performance over various periods of time by measuring physical, physiological, psychological and sociological attributes as well as technical abilities either alone or in combination.

A key question is whether the individual has the potential to benefit from a systematic programme of support and training. Talent identification has been viewed as part of talent development in which identification may occur at various stages within the process.

Since there is no documented national long-term talent identification programme, documentation or research found in Sri Lanka, this can be done as a pilot project in Kandy district and expand islandwide thereafter.

Objectives

* To implement long-term talent identification and development programme at an early age and broad basing an attitude of physical fitness in school student in Kandy district.

* To identify the motor qualities (speed, endurance, strength, explosive power and agility levels) and the potential of a child to play a particular game or particular event, and to select exceptional talent at an early age.

* Test all students in Grade 6, 7 and 8 from the Ministry of Education in Kandy District and to continue to monitor as many of these students as they continue to age and progress in their athletic ability.

* Guide students to the best sports where their natural talent on most suited procedure

Sample recruitment - After receiving contact information from Ministry of Education, Central Province, all Grade 6, 7 and 8 students can be identify in Kandy district government schools.