Are the Commonwealth Youth Games a part of the development pathway or are they an end in themselves?

Athletics New Zealand and a number of other countries e.g., USA, Great Britain, Switzerland, Australia, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Italy, Canada etc., chose not to send a team to the very last IAAF World U18 (formerly Youth) Championships (WYC) in Nairobi, Kenya for “security reasons/concerns”. Instead New Zealand sent a team of youth athletes to the Commonwealth Youth Games (CYG) that were held in Nassau, Bahamas at around the same time as the World Under 18 Championships in Nairobi. The New Zealand team produced some impressive performances including six medals in Nassau. They are listed below:

Athlete Event Performance Place (overall)

James Guthrie-Croft 100m 11.03 8s1 (12th) James Guthrie-Croft 200m 22.30 5h1 (10th) Isaiah Priddey 1500m 03:52.82 6th Isaiah Priddey 3000m DNF Nick Palmer Shot Put 19.57m 2nd Connor Bell Discus Throw 63.17m 1st

Katrina Robinson 1500m 4:17.19 3rd Hanna O'Connor 1500m 4:22.82 7th Katrina Rbinson 3000m 9:27.40 2nd Hanna O'Connor 3000m 10::02.20 8th Kayla Goodwin 100m hurdles 15.14 7h1 (14th) Kayla Goodwin Long Jump 5.59m 5th Imogen Skelton High Jump 1.76m 3rd Mellata Tatola Shot Put 14.85m 7th Tatiana Kaumoana Discus Throw 45.54m 2nd Mellata Tatola Discus Throw 43.70m 4th

It has to be acknowledged that unlike the WYC, there were fewer, if any, qualifying rounds for all events, and a lesser number of competitors in all events at the CYG. It is difficult to compare performances at the CYG with those at the WYC, due to the environmental conditions (Nairobi is 1795m above sea level), together with the large number of countries who normally supply high caliber youth athletes, staying away from the Nairobi championships. It is therefore accepted that the CYG are of a lower standard of competition than the WYC. A further example of the difference in standard between the two is that in Nassau, the New Zealand athletes won six medals, whereas in the previous nine WYC that New Zealand has competed in, just three athletes won medals in the 16 year period. Further, 12 athletes (including the medalists) made the final of their event in Nassau, whereas 25 New Zealand athletes made the final of their event over the nine editions of the WYC that New Zealand competed in between 1999 and 2015.

So, what is the future for this current crop of Youth athletes? Will they follow the pattern of the other New Zealand athletes who competed at the WYC between 1999 and 2015, or will they be spurred to greater things through their experiences at a CYG? If they follow the trend of their WYC colleagues, then there should be cause for concern as the below listed facts about New Zealand’s athletes at the World Youth Championships show:

New Zealand at World Youth Championships 1999 - 2015

Number of New Zealand athletes competing at the World Youth Championships 1999 – 2015: 126 (71 women and 55 men)

Number of New Zealand medalists at the World Youth Championships 1999 – 2015: - 3

Number of New Zealand Finalists (including medalists above) at the World Youth Championships 1999 – 2015: – 25

Number of New Zealand WYC athletes going on to senior international representation (OG, WC, CWG): 13 (8 women and 5 men) – 10%

Number of New Zealand WYC athletes progressing on to compete at an Olympic Games: 6 (3 women and 3 men) (5%): (Valerie Adams 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016; Sarah Cowley 2012; Eliza McCartney 2016: Brent Newdick 2012; Tom Walsh 2016; Jacko Gill 2016)

New Zealand WYC medalists and finalists not progressing to NZL senior representation: 18 (10 women and 8 men):

Number of New Zealand WYC athletes progressing to the World Junior Championships: 31 (18 women and 13 men) – 24%

From the above and from a New Zealand prospective statistical perspective, the WYC cannot be considered to be a “first step on the ladder” event to international fame for New Zealand athletes, as 76% of New Zealand athletes who participated at a WYC found them to be the pinnacle of their international athletics careers. To also highlight these championships as a talent identification/ confirmation event is also debateable given the large “drop-out” rate. Also of interest is that for those youth athletes who did not progress to the WJC, but did go on to compete at a World Championships and or an Olympic Games, it took six to eleven years for the athlete to progress to that level of achievement. So much can happen to an athlete in that period of time! Now that the IAAF have dispensed with the WYC, will the CYG take their place as the perceived “first step on the ladder”? To significantly invest therefore in individuals in this age group is somewhat hazardous as the statistical analysis shows that the initial investment would have a low rate of return at elite senior international level. Further, results achieved at the WYC are a relatively poor predictor of what one could expect of the athlete when, and if, they progress to the senior level. However, the above are not reasons to deny youth athletes who have the ability to compete at this level the opportunity to participate at them. For athletes of this age, the opportunity to be able to “dream” is an important factor and being afforded the opportunity to travel overseas and compete against similarly youth-talented athletes is necessary to retain the athletes in the sport at the domestic level. Retaining youth athletes at the domestic level is one factor, but transitioning them to become elite senior athletes is more complex and demanding of both the athlete, their support structure, and administrators. First there are the demands of, and the barriers to, the transition. These are:

Barriers to, and Demands of the transition to elite senior athletics

Performance experience • Unpredictability of performance progression • Not experiencing early international success

Effective High Performance Daily Training Environment • Coach incompatibility • Lack of access to training facilities • Event selection decisions

Competing demands • Academic and athletic goals

Competition • Ill-defined competition pathways • Lack of out of season competitions • Fragmented national competition calendar

Age • Incongruence of peak age and the Olympic cycle • Relative-age effect

Then, when the Barriers to, and the Demands of the transition have been mediated, effective resources must be put in place to facilitate the transition. These effective resources are:

The Effective Resources that are required to facilitate the transition to elite senior athletics are:

• Facilitate choices allowing for different combinations of high performance and lifestyle • Development of an athlete tracking and monitoring system • Regulate for psychological excellence including realistic and adaptable goal setting • Create an adaptive motivational environment that focuses on holistic development • Provide appropriate competition pathways • Coordinate and provide needs-based social, financial and organisational support • Prepare coaches to be more effective in meeting the needs of athletes in this phase • Allow for early selection and specialisation.

Hollings, S. C. (2014). The transition from elite junior athlete to successful senior athlete - Implications for athletics high performance programmes. (PhD Doctoral), AUT University, Auckland.