National Para Program
The Archery Australia National Para Program is a new program that has been developed to reflect Archery Australia’s commitment to the delivery of development and elite programs to produce Para Archery Champions at benchmark events including World Archery Para Championships and Paralympic Games.
The purpose of the NPP is to provide a system of support for Archery Australia’s leading Para Archers in a structured, sequential and transparent manner that enables the athletes to be the best Archers that they can be. The NPP will have two distinct components:
- National Squad
- National Development Squad
Youth age athletes will be included in the National Development Squad until there are sufficient numbers to make the establishment of a National Youth Squad viable.
The ultimate objective of the NPP is to win medals at World Para Championships, Paralympic Games and World Cups by supporting identified athletes within the program through a combination of more accessible coaching, greater representation across the network of State Institutes and Academies of Sport, and performance based funding support for travel.
The NPP consists of two squads of athletes that provides a clearly structured pathway which athletes are able to progress through as they further develop their skills and performances. The entrance criteria for each of these tiers has been designed to align with Sport Australia’s Athlete classification strategy meaning that athletes are eligible to receive more support as they progress through the tiers. Athletes are able to enter the program at any level, National or Development, provided they meet the published selection criteria.
National Squad
| Tier 1
Compound Men Open 685 Compound Women Open 660 Recurve Men Open 615 Recurve Women Open 590 Men W1 630 Women W1 620 |
World Class – Athletes who in the opinion of the HPC have demonstrated their ability to challenge or have actually achieved a recent podium position in top International Competition.
|
| Tier 2
Compound Men Open 670 Compound Women Open 630 Recurve Men Open 580 Recurve Women Open550 Men W1 600 Women W1 530 |
International – Athletes who in the opinion of the HPC are competitive in international competition and have the potential to progress to World Class within the next two years.
|
National Development Squad
| Tier 3
Compound Men Open 630 Compound Women Open 600 Recurve Men Open 550 Recurve Women Open 500 Men W1 560 Women W1 500 |
Development – Athletes who in the opinion of the HPC are considered to be emerging and have the potential to progress through the tiers in the coming years due to demonstrated commitment. |
In addition to the two squad components of the NPP, the Paris24 Pathways Program provides an opportunity for accelerated growth for athletes selected in the program. It is expected there will be a strong connection between the programs and the majority of athletes will also be selected in an NPP squad. The Paris24 Pathways Program is funded independently of the NPP by the AIS Performance Pathways Unit (Click Here)
Applications to join NPP
Athletes wishing to apply for the NPP should firstly obtain a copy of the NPP policy (Click Here) and review it carefully paying special attention to the performance requirements, eligibility requirements and expectations of athletes in the program. The program is demanding and requires dedication, commitment and time. Only athletes who are willing to make that commitment should apply.
Each year a national event will be identified or an NPP Trial held, for athletes wishing to be considered for selection. When considering athlete applications, performance at this event will be taken into account along with scores from any QRE’s and international competitions in the previous 12 months.
Due to the very unusual circumstances in 2020 with the COVID-19 pandemic, the HPC will take into account all international scores from 2019 and QRE scores from July 1 2019.
Archery Australia’s High Performance Committee (HPC) will review the membership of the NPP on a six month basis. At this time the HPM will (a) review any applications to join the NPP and (b) review the performances and compliance of existing NPP athletes. Recommendations will then be forwarded to the HPC for endorsement. Once this process is complete all athletes will receive formal correspondence confirming the outcome of their application and/or their current status in the NPP.
Expressions of Interest for the NPP are available here (Click Here) and should be submitted via email to hppadmin@archeryaustralia.org by COB 23 October 2020.
