IAAF’s HPTC Concept

The IAAF High Performance Training Centres (HPTC) provide a cite of excellence for the training and development of international class athletes and coaches. The Centres are managed and supervised under IAAF control.

The first HPTC was opened by the IAAF in 1997. Since then, the IAAF has opened HPTC's in several Areas around the world: notably in Africa, Asia, South America, NACAC (North America, Central America and Caribbean) and Oceania.

Many athletes have benefited from time spent at these HPTC's and have improved their performances at world level as a result. Indeed, a number of HPTC-trained athletes have gone on to become medal winners at international competitions.

This success has led to many IAAF Member Federations entrusting the advancement of their elite athletes to these training centres.

Enshrined in the Objects of the IAAF Constitution is the strongest possible commitment to world-wide development of athletics. This, of course, is a huge and complex task.

The challenge is to create the conditions under which as many athletes as possible can express their potential in competition and derive the maximum benefit from the sport in the country of each IAAF Member Federation.

The central principle of the IAAF's development philosophy is co-operation between the IAAF, its Member Federations and other partners.

As each Member Federation is responsible for athletics within its country, it has a leading role in operating and developing the sport. The IAAF's contribution is to assist Member Federations in fulfilling this role as effectively as possible.

The IAAF development activities date back to the mid-seventies when the Congress in Montreal approved the “Technical Aid Programme” proposed by József Sir (Hungary) who later became the first director of the programme and established the Development Commission.

In 1987, the IAAF created the Development Department. The Department’s first action was to make a situation analysis in the six Areas and in 1988 the Development Commission approved the Development Programme proposed by them.

Since 1987 with the opening of the first Regional Development Centre (RDC) in Nairobi a network of RDCs, covering all six IAAF Areas, has supported the work of the Member Federations by providing a focal point for the programme of development activities in their region.

In accordance with the declaration of the late Primo Nebiolo that the nineties shall be the Decade of Development, these years saw a dynamic increase of development activities all over the world.