| The study examines the historical administrative operations of the British Olympic Association (BOA) and proposes a leadership model to guide the BOA on its interaction with each National Governing Body (NGB) on the Olympic team preparation process. British sport has a history of being conservative, cautious, and suspicious of change; however, with increasing pressure to succeed at international competitions, such as the Olympics, the BOA and the NGB must have a plan to prepare athletes for the daunting international challenges. The research includes a description of the twentieth century history of British sport with special attention given to other worldwide developments. The decline in success of British Olympic athletes winning medals is also chronicled. This study prescribes leadership initiatives to be implemented on how the BOA evaluates the Olympic team preparation process.;The author proposes integrating the Situational Leadership II model between the BOA and each of the twenty-two NGBs to prepare them for success in Olympic competition. The population consists of twenty-two Chief Operating Officers (COO) of each National Governing Body sanctioned by the British Olympic Association.;The Duke Sport Analysis Profile (DSAP) was created specifically to determine the situational leadership developmental level of competence and commitment for Olympic team preparation for each of the twenty-two NGBs. The DSAP is used to classify the developmental status of each NGB, which in turn guides the BOA in its use of an appropriate management style to facilitate the work of the NGB. The DSAP profiles four areas of Critical Concern (ACC) including: clarity of written policy for Olympic team selection qualification standards, formation of training schedules and international competition calendars, support for sport medicine and sport science services provided to elite athletes, and resource strategies to secure funding.;The results of the study conclude the following: medal production at Olympic Games from 1950 to 2000 is in a downward spiral, the NGBs are diverse in their competence and commitment and the four ACCs, all four Situational Leadership styles are needed, and support services are necessary to deliver sport medicine and sport science for the development of elite athletes. |
