Current Issues
No.48
September 2006
 
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The IAAF SCHOOL / YOUTH Programme
Abdelmalek El-Hebil

 
© Abdelmalek El-Hebil
Senior Manager / IAAF

Introduction
The IAAF has started this year to implement its ambitious youth athletics program intended for both school and clubs. The main objective of the IAAF is to make Athletics the number one sport in Schools. A new commission has been created for this purpose and a new structure has been established in the IAAF to assist this commission in the achievement of its objectives. These objectives should be achieved by 2012 and the project should be implemented through different stages.

Plan of Action 2003 - 2012
“Make Athletics the world-wide number one participatory sport in schools in 2012”
(MFs = Member Federations)
Diagram 1

1. Concept of the Educational Project:
The first stage is a stage of reflection. The main objective of this reflection concerns the concept of the IAAF Educational Project.
  • Youth Athletics regards the transitory period which spreads from the basic stage of discovery to the advanced grown-up’s training.
  • We are dealing with a Global Educational Project intended to kids and youth which needs the support of educational documents (Kids’ Athletics – System of competitions for the 13-15 years old)
This is a stage of decision as well, whether to implement a strategy and resources indispensable to the development of this plan.
The implementation of this Project mainly requires:
  • To arrange adequate coaching in the process: National Instructors’ Educational Project (two Pilot Courses for Instructors in 2006: the first one was organised in Mauritius for 21 countries and the second one was organised in Beijing for 10 countries)
  • To finalize the required documents (Kids’ Athletics Educational Programme for 7-12 year-old children; Scoring Tables for competitions for the 7-15 years old)
  • To break the isolation of school sports (World Athletics Day with Schools’ participation; Circular addressed to MFs and Area Associations)
  • To increase the number of exhibitions of Kids’ Athletics (KA)
1.2 Implementation of the Project
This stage corresponds to the realization of the project: it has to ensure the arrangement of a developing network within each Member Federation in order to make sure that the Educational Project actually infiltrates the various educational systems (Schools and Federations) of the concerned countries.
This stage requires a strict planning of the actions:
  • Education of Instructors
  • KA Programme and Competitions for the 13-15 years old
  • Reinforcement of World Athletics Day in Schools, a specific webpage, increase KA exhibitions
  • Strengthening the follow-up of the Youth Athletics by the Member Federations, the IAAF Regional Development Centres
1.3. Development of the Project:
This reinforcement stage shall enable, by following through the actions and striving for the generalization of our project, to develop on a long-term basis youth’s practice of Athletics at world level.



2. Kids’ Athletics (KA)
KA is mostly known as a competitive practice for 7-12 year-old children. It is now necessary to complete this document with educational documentation emphasizing the educational aspect precisely.

2.1 KA, Competitive Practice:
A new version of KA has been created. In addition to the improvement of the form, we noticed some evolution on events, modes of competitions and training venues.
Evolution of events:
  • New events are put forward to widen the range of competitions intended for children.
  • Events have been reordered and proposed methodically according to KA age groups.
  • To 11-12 year-old children, new forms of events are offered, making an actual link between the events intended to kids and the official events meant for the 13-15 years old, before moving on to the 15-17 year-old athlete’s programme.
  • The material has evolved from a pure aspect of play to a more athletic form.
Evolution of modes of competitions:
  • For 11-12 year-old children, the confrontation of opponents in competitions has changed, which is another link between the system for kids and direct confrontation in competitions for the 13-17 years old.
Evolution of training venues for 11-12 year-old children

2.2 KA, Educational Practice:
An educational document is necessary for the arrangement of competitions.
The main thrusts of these educational documents are clearly defined: educational approach, the session, the organization of the group, of time, active participation of children…
A Working Group was appointed to create an educational programme focused on KA games and intended both to clubs and schools. The document is already finalised and available.

3. Programme for the 13 - 15 years old
This new programme was implemented to fill the gaps which remain among this age category. The programme is presented as a system of competitions which aims at ensuring a closer link between KA and Youth Athletics. The main characteristics of this programme consist in:
  1. Being consistent with Kids’ Athletics; this tool will be of service not only to the Federations but also to Schools.
  2. A six-day Championship has been suggested: four days will be devoted to Athletics and two to Cross-Country. Each day counts for the final ranking.
  3. Competitions are carried out with six athletes per team. Every athlete can select 2 or 3 events from 2 or 3 Event Groups among the 5 proposed one, while respecting the three-event-group principle: one running, jumping and throwing event (cf. Programme) and a relay.
Event Programme

Comments:
  • Two extra days are devoted to Athletic Conditioning Tests
  • We need to make sure that specific Scoring Tables are valid
4. World Athletics Day
The objective of the World Athletics Day is to reinforce the practice of Athletics in Schools. Two sessions would be organized: one session for Federations and the other for Schools.
a. World Athletics Day in Clubs
The programme for the Day has not changed but participation is limited to athletes (16-17 years old) who are members of clubs affiliated to the IAAF Member Federations. If a Member Federation is willing to take care of the organization, it will receive from the IAAF a package composed with: T-shirts, pins, posters and diplomas.
b. World Athletics Day in Schools
The Day will be devoted to pupils from Schools only, who are 14 – 15 year old. The IAAF has sent a Circular urging our Member Federations to coordinate the organization of the competition with School Sports Authorities. The organizing Member Federations will receive the same package as mentioned previously.
The programme which has been retained is the following:

Results and competition reports will have to be returned to the IAAF. It used to be the case for the previous winners of the World Athletics Day, that a drawing lot for school winners was organized. One winner per Area was chosen and the selected winner was invited to Monaco on the occasion of the Super GP Herculis Meeting on 20th August 2006. In total 20 young athletes were invited to Monaco.

Conclusion
The new IAAF programme for youth has started to have a positive impact on the schools and clubs. Several National Ministries of Education expressed their interest and asked the IAAF to implement the new programme in their respective countries. Many experts think that the new programme will be an interesting system for those countries which have not a specific national programme for youth and school.


Contact
Abdelmalek El-Hebil
International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF)
17, Rue Princesse Florestine
BP 359-MC 98007 Monaco
MONACO
Email: abdel.malek.el-hebil@iaaf.org




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