JUNIOR WORLDS SELECTION CRITERIA

Selection Procedures for Australian Team for 2014 Junior World Orienteering Championships 

Orienteering Australia will send a team to contest the 2014 Junior World Orienteering Championships in Bulgaria from 21st to 27th July. 

It is expected that a team of at least 4 men and 4 women will be selected. Additional team members (up to a maximum of 6 men and 6 women) may be selected depending on performance in the selection trials. 

Nominations  

Nominations are to be made to the Chair of the Junior Selection Panel, Jan Hardy, by e-mail (janhardy@iprimus.com.au). A note advising of your availability for selection is sufficient. Nominations should be received no later than Sunday, 9th March 2014. Verbal nominations will not be accepted. Late nominations may be accepted at the discretion of the selectors. 

With your nomination please advise a phone contact for the days after Easter – this will make it easier for us to get the good news to you if the occasion requires. 

Selection Criteria  

The primary selection trials are the four races of the Easter weekend, to be held in NSW from 18th to 21st April 2014 . 

Secondary selection trials will be the 2014 March National League races on March 22nd and 23rd in Victoria. 

All candidates for selection are expected to compete in these events unless they have grounds for special consideration (see below). 

In such cases of special consideration, or where selection is exceptionally tight between 2 or more nominees, selectors may refer to the results of other recent major events, including 2013 JWOC and 2013 Australian Championships. 

Members of current national squads are expected to have entered into an athlete agreement. Those who have declined to enter into such an agreement, or who have failed to follow it to the satisfaction of the selectors, may be excluded from consideration for selection irrespective of their performance in the selection events.  

Classes  

Candidates for selection will normally be expected to compete in M/W17-20E at Easter. Any candidates for selection who want to run M/W21E should seek the approval of the Chair as soon as practicable – this approval will normally be given only to those who are realistic candidates for  

selection in senior representative teams or squads. Any such competitors will be considered based on kilometre rates at Easter, and past Junior World Championships performances. 17-20E and 21E will run the same course at the March National League races. 

Candidates for selection who are competing or training overseas at the time of the selection events may apply for pre-selection. The Selection Panel has the authority to pre-select one or more individuals at any time if, in the Panel’s opinion, they have clearly demonstrated that they have a realistic prospect of placing in the top 16 of the individual races in the Junior World Championships. Such a decision will be based primarily on previous international championship performances and the candidate’s proposed programme of training and competition overseas. There is no longer any other provision for overseas selection. 

Anyone who wishes to seek pre-selection under this clause is advised to contact the Chair as soon as possible. 

Other applications for special consideration  

Any competitor who is unable to compete, or whose performance is adversely affected, in one or more selection trials due to injury, or illness, may be considered for selection in the team, providing that they have significantly outperformed one or more members of the team that would have been selected in their absence in recent major events. 

Anyone seeking special consideration under this clause should contact the Chair as soon as possible once they become aware of the situation which leads them to seek it. The Chair may require a medical certificate to be produced. 

Timing of selection  

The team will be announced in the week following Easter and all nominees will be advised by email. 

Other information  

The full rules for the selection of JWOC teams can be found in the Operational Manual on the OA website, in sections 5.1 (Australian Teams) and 5.3 (Junior World Championships Teams). This includes information on the procedure for appeals. 

Selection in the team will be conditional on acceptance of an athlete agreement, including relevant codes of conduct. 

The selection panel consists of Jan Hardy (Chair), Roch Prendergast (National Junior Coach), Bridget Anderson and Susanne Casanova. 

Contacts for further information  

Jan Hardy can be contacted by e-mail at janhardy@iprimus.com.au, and by phone on (03)62342991  

Jan Hardy Chair, Junior Selection Panel, 21 September 2013