ID: hksportsinstitute
Talent Identification and Development Unit
About the Program
The HKSI’s Talent Identification & Development (TID) Programme was launched in 2013. Benchmarked against the TID programmes of global sports institutes, our programme is based on the FTEM (Foundation, Talent, Elite and Mastery) model (Figure 1) of long-term athlete development, and the underlying principle of biopsychosocial aspects of elite athlete development. The essence of FTEM is to create an environment that allows junior athletes to build a multi-disciplinary understanding of their talent, and to retain and nurture them in the programme.
Figure 1 - FTEM Model
The TID Programme provides support to National Sports Associations (NSAs) and athletes with an aim to increase the number of talented athletes in NSAs and track their development, and ultimately lead them to the elite athlete pipeline. The scope of services of the programme include:
1. Talent Development Programme (TDP)
Traditionally, sport training for potential athletes have been focused on skills development, but systematic strength and conditioning training and psychological consultation were not provided to help them prepare for their development pathway, which might hinder them from joining the ranks of elite athletes. The TDP is devised to provide skills for junior potential athletes to prepare for professional athletic careers. Participants are required to attend weekly sessions to develop knowledge of physical fitness, individual sports skills and sports science. Pre-programme, mid-term and post-programme testing and evaluation are conducted to monitor and track their progression. The programme includes the following components:
- Sports Nutrition
- Sports Medicine
- Sports Psychology
- Introduction to principles of Physical Fitness
- Multi Sports Training
- Strength & Conditioning Training
- TID testing
2. Talent Testing Programme (TTP)
It assesses physical attributes by way of dedicated assessment days in order to verify potential talents in NSA squads, enabling them to receive higher level of training and specific sport training.
The TTP is divided into two parts. The first part provides regular monitoring of an athlete's performance, aiming to build a database of Hong Kong athletes' physical attributes. Athletic attributes including endurance, agility, speed, strength, reaction time and repeat sprint ability are tested.
The second part is a one-off testing day to verify talented athletes to support NSAs in their quest to find new talents to join the TDP thereafter.
3. Sports Specific Programme (SSP)
It is designed to support NSAs in talent verification processes through a three-month training programme and a one-day scientific assessment in order to verify if the physically gifted athletes have the technical, emotional and tactical abilities required to be elite performers. Selected athletes are coached and technically assessed by NSA coaches.
4. Joint Talent Development Camp (JTDC)
It aims to promote the athlete development pathway and enhance cultural exchange opportunities for talented young athletes from Hong Kong with overseas athletes. Sport-specific training, friendly competitions, sports science support, cross cultural exchange activities and sport education programmes are organised during the camp.
