FAQs

What is Find Your Greatness?

Find Your Greatness is an athlete recruitment campaign that will build on the excitement of the Olympic & Paralympic Games and try to identify 16–24-year-olds who are inspired to find their own sporting potential, and in a very small number of cases, become an elite athlete for Team GB or ParalympicsGB.

How does it work?

The campaign is split into three phases.

The first phase, 20th August – 3rd November 2024, offers an open application process, where you are asked to complete three basic physical tests and share your sporting history as part of your application – These are not mandatory tests but will help speed up the process. 
The second, in November and December, is the Regional Testing phase for Olympic sports, where you will be invited to a venue of your choice in a city around the UK to complete a wider range of physical tests.
The third phase, from January 2025 onwards, offers you the opportunity to sample more sport specific testing directly with our sports and experience their training environments.
Only a small number of applicants will make it through to the end of the process, however whether this is an introduction to a new sport or you aren’t quite ready yet , we hope that you are encouraged to pursue your love of sport and that we’ll see you again in the future.

Regional assessment days for Paralympic sports will take place in Crawley in October, in Sheffield in November and in Liverpool in February.

How can people sign up?

Applications will be open from 20th August – 3rd November 2024 on findyourgreatness.co.uk

As part of the application process, you will be asked to submit your best time for a 1km time trial run, the longest time you can hold a plank, and your largest standing long jump distance, along with a brief sporting history.

Why are Athlete Recruitment programmes needed?

A healthy performance pathway has multiple entry points, not only the well-trodden grassroots to elite pathway.
Some people may have faced barriers to access the grassroots pathway and so this is a way to encourage and invite people to have a go at accessing elite sport without some of those barriers.
Some sports have gaps in their pathway for multiple reasons and others, new disciplines (i.e. Modern Pentathlon moving to including Obstacle Course Running) . Some sports don’t have a grassroots pathway, (e.g. skeleton), and so this is how we recruit for those sports.

What attributes are you looking for as part of the Athlete Recruitment Programme?

Each sport we are recruiting for has its own specific profile of a potential athlete and that can be quite different for a weightlifting athlete compared to a shooting athlete.
However, we have asked non-disabled applicants to the programme to complete 3 very basic tests to understand their base fitness levels. These are a 1km time trial, a plank and a standing long jump. These are the tests you’ll be asked to complete at the first stage.

At the second stage there will be tests that measure your mobility and movement, your power and strength, and your endurance. As you progress through the programme there will be further tests, and you will get more sport specific as we filter applicants into different sport routes.

Which sports are covered by the Find Your Greatness Athlete Recruitment Programme?

Cycling (Track, Mountain Biking, BMX Park, Sprint)) Rowing, Modern Pentathlon, Weightlifting, Climbing, Volleyball, Handball, Shooting and Skeleton. We are also recruiting for all parasports and disabled applicants, where the relevant impairments will go on to a testing programme run by ParalympicsGB. You can find out more about Paralympic athlete impairments here ParalympicsGB | Classification.

How/why were these sports selected?

They have a specific need or opportunity in their talent pathway (e.g. Speed Climbing).

How many people can sign up?

There is no limit to the number of people who can sign up, but if we get more applicants than we can process at our regional testing centres then we will use your test scores and sporting history on the application forms to select those with higher scores.

Will I need to invest in kit and equipment?

To complete the tests as part of the application form you just need some basic equipment such as a pair of trainers, a measuring tape, a stopwatch and a way of measuring 1km or plotting a 1km route. If you are invited to the regional tests, then you only need to bring something you’re comfortable in which doesn’t restrict your movement, and trainers.

How were the regional testing locations selected?

We have chosen locations spread out across England, Wales and Scotland so potential athletes will have a testing centre in their region. We have also tried to select locations that are easily accessible in areas of low to medium affluence (as opposed to high affluence) which we hope offers as many young athletes an opportunity to take part as possible.

Will I be notified if my application is unsuccessful?

Yes. If you are unsuccessful at the application process you will receive an email following the application closing date (midnight on Monday 14th October – this has now been extended to Sunday 3rd November 2024). Please allow for up to 2 weeks for the team to work through applications.

If I am selected to attend a Find your Greatness assessment event, what will I be expected to do?

During these days you will be assessed on a range of performance criteria including power, speed, mobility and strength.
A series of physical assessments will be set up to enable you to demonstrate that you have what it takes to progress through to the next phase of the campaign.
The tests will be sent to you ahead of arriving at the assessment day, so you know what to expect.

Can I bring a drink with me to regional testing?

Yes, we recommend you bring a bottle, which can be refilled throughout the day.

How many people will be in my testing group at regional testing?

Approximately 20 people will be in a testing group.

Will my parents / coach be able to travel to the Find Your Greatness assessment event and watch my performance?

Yes – parents / coaches can watch from a designated area / viewing gallery but will not be allowed in the testing arena.

I’m interested in giving this a go but have never done these sports before – can I still apply?

Absolutely, no previous experience in these sports is required.

What is the difference between the different types of testing?

• Pre-applications tests (Individual) – these are exercises that elite athletes might do as part of their training programmes, we’d love you to give them a go and tell us your scores as part of the application process.
• Pre-applications tests (Group) – You may be asked to do these exercises as part of a group session at your school or community sports club, give them a go and tell us your scores as when you apply on the website.
• Regional Testing – Regional testing events will give you the opportunity to compete against yourself and your peers. Coaches and performance staff will also be at each of these events. A sports fair will provide an opportunity to learn more about each sport, what it takes to be an athlete at various stages in each sport and what to expect if you are selected for the next stage. Sports will use their athlete profiles and your test results to determine whether they think you’re ready to go to the next stage.