The UK Athletics World Class Programme (“WCP”) is UK Sport’s National Lottery funded initiative to support the delivery of success at the world’s most significant sporting events, principally the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

During the LA cycle, the performance objectives of the Olympic WCP are to win medals at the Olympic Games, whilst the Paralympic programme is focused on Gold medals. The WCP is structured to reflect these overall aims, as well as supporting the longer term growth of the sport, and the need to achieve sustained success in LA and beyond. As a result, the WCP is supported by a tiered APA system. Athletes currently just below WCP level will be considered for the UK Athletics Futures Academy Programme.

Membership of the UK Athletics WCP is conditional upon athletes entering into an Athlete Agreement. This agreement reflects the fact that the World Class environment is about achieving excellence in everything we do, from meeting challenging performance targets on the sports field to managing ourselves to the highest professional standards. It summarises the services that UK Athletics will provide to the athletes and outlines the responsibilities that our leading athletes are expected to observe.

The funding year for the WCP runs from 1st December to the end of November each year. UK Athletics will conduct a review of each year (currently in October) during which we will appoint a selection panel to assess whether athletes should be granted funding for the following year. To decide which athletes should be supported for the following year, the selection panel will follow a selection policy (different policies are published for the Olympic and Paralympic programmes). Athletes on the Olympic and Paralympic WCP will then be assessed on an ongoing basis to ensure that they continue to meet their targets, and that they maintain realistic medal potential for the future.