Update for NSO’s…
Dear Colleagues,
As we pass the halfway mark of 2024 and with the Paris Olympics approaching, we wanted to provide a brief update on our activities and plans for the remainder of the year.
We appreciate the efforts of sports integrating their athlete leaders into our network. Currently, we have 82 athletes from 63 sports/disciplines in our database. Engagement levels vary, but we understand the challenges especially during a Games year and are committed to continuous improvement.
This year, athletes have sought our assistance on issues like Athlete Voice Mechanisms, Mental Skills support, Selection/Nomination Appeals, Mediation, Policy processes, and Campaign planning. These inquiries highlight the importance of our collaboration with you and your athletes to enhance their leadership capabilities for internal advocacy.
We’re not looking for problems, we want to enhance athlete voice in all organisations, ensuring athletes have an effective communication mechanism at every level.
Earlier this year we were consulted on the proposed changes to the HPSNZ Investment Strategy 2025-28 cycle, provided feedback on the Mental Health Strategy refresh, involved network leaders in the Sport Integrity Commission setup, and included athletes in working groups. Recently, we've been assisting network leaders in establishing or engaging their sports’ athlete voice mechanisms.
For sports with existing athlete groups or commissions, our goal is for network leaders to connect accordingly. Over time, we aim to share relevant information direct to sport(s) to share with all athletes where and when appropriate.
Later this year, on November the 18th, we will host our Athlete Leaders Network Forum, featuring esteemed speakers and providing a platform for athlete leaders to connect, interact, and develop further skills for the betterment of themselves along with their sport.
Lastly, many of you by now will be across the HPSNZ Investment Guidelines for the 2025-2028 cycle. For those submitting HP plans, the ‘Focus Area’ – Wellbeing includes two performance questions:
What are you doing to support your people to thrive in sport and life?
How are you engaging athletes in the decisions that impact them?
The planning documentation also asks for:
The NSO’s framework/approach to supporting their people to thrive and measures to check that it is working.
An overview of the NSO’s athlete voice mechanism/representation.
We are here to assist, so please feel free to reach out if needed or if you have any questions.
For any questions specifically around the Tailored Athlete Pathway Support (TAPS), click HERE for the FAQ document from HPSNZ.