Athlete Categorisation
What is Athlete Categorisation?
Athlete Categorisation is a process undertaken by all sports/disciplines that are funded by the Australian Insitute of Sport (AIS) to deliver performance results at major events.
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Using national agreed guidelines developed by the AIS and supported all State Insitute and Academies of Sports, the aim of Athlete Categorisation is to have a nationally consistent approach for sports to:
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Identify the athletes with the greatest potential to contribute to Australia consistently winning medals at major international events.
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Identify, track and prioritise athletes at each stage of the Performance Pathway.
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Inform the prioritisation of support to these athletes.
What is different for the LA Olympic/Paralympic Performance Cycle?
For the Los Angeles 2028 performance cycle, national sporting organisations were required to develop an updated approach to Athlete Categorisation.
The critical change during the Paris performance cycle was an elevated focus on performance potential criteria when categorising athletes.
There was a greater reliance on each sports What it Takes to Win (WITTW) and Athlete Development Frameworks (ADF) to ensure all athlete categorisation decisions were supported by evidence.
Further information on the AIS Athlete Categorisation Framework and requirements can be found here.
When do Skate Australia expect to call for nominations for Athlete Categorisation and make Athlete Categorisation decisions?
During the LA Olympic Cycle, athlete categorisation will be an annual process.​
New athletes wishing to be categorised for the first time and existing Emerging and Developing athletes wanting to maintain categorisation: Applications are now open and will close on 10 November 2025.
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Further information on Skate Australia’s Athlete Categorisation approach, assessment criteria, timing and athlete eligibility requirements are in the policy.
