The elite sport environment seeks to drive and deliver world class success on a global stage. Athletes and performance staff work tirelessly in pursuit of excellence and achieving personal bests.
At key points in an Olympic and Paralympic cycle performance decisions need to be made around team selection for major championships including the Olympic and Paralympic Games; decisions will also be made around whether an athlete will continue on the sports performance programme and retain the subsequent funding given to them.
We have also seen over the past couple of years athletes speaking out about the environment and culture within their sport; raising concerns and allegations of a bullying nature, together with expressing serious concerns over their mental health and wellbeing.
The seminar will deliver a variety of perspectives from across the sporting system. The first session will include a keynote from Victoria Aggar, Executive Chair of the British Athletes Commission (BAC) followed by an athlete experience and perspective. The second session will have an NGB, the BPA and an experienced barrister discussing their challenges and expectations in this area.
The expectation at the end of this seminar is that those supporting or contracted to work in elite sport in the lead up to Tokyo 2020 and beyond, will have a greater context and balanced overview of how the system operates and the expectations from all parties.
