FAQs - General
In German elite sport, there are various financial funding options at different levels (federal, state, local, etc.). At federal level, federation funding is provided via a three-stage funding procedure. The potential analysis (PotAS) is the first part of the funding procedure for the Olympic summer and winter sports federations. PotAS provides an objective and independent basis for decision-making for the subsequent structural discussions with the Olympic federations and the funding commission, which ultimately makes a funding decision: A detailed explanation and categorisation of PotAS in the overall context can be found here.
The PotAS Commission acts on behalf of the BMI and DOSB and is tasked with analysing the Olympic federations and their disciplines/discipline groups and ranking them. Prior to each PotAS analysis, the DOSB names the national sports federations and the associated disciplines/discipline groups to be analysed by PotAS. For the success pillar, all Olympic competitions (distances, weight categories, etc.) within the disciplines/discipline groups are also considered.
The potential analysis consists of three pillars: sporting success, athlete potential and federation structures. These are divided into main attributes and sub-attributes. The lowest level is formed by the specific questions. Each question contributes equally to the respective pillar and each pillar contributes equally to the PotAS value. The weighting factors at main attribute level were abolished in 2021. Weitere Informationen finden Sie hier.
he PotAS reports provide a discipline-specific, potential-orientated analysis of the defined disciplines/discipline groups and the Olympic federations for the structural discussions and the subsequent funding commission, so that funding recommendations (structural discussions) and subsequent funding decisions (funding commission) can be made on this basis. The Olympic federations also receive a detailed overview in the form of a strengths and weaknesses analysis, which could be used, for example, for the quality management of the federations.
The Olympic sports federations can provide feedback and suggestions on the requirements and evaluation guidelines at any time before or after each analysis cycle. Fundamental changes to the potential analysis (e.g. the structural challenges to be analysed in main and sub-attributes) must be decided by the commissioning bodies in consultation with the PotAS Commission. The topic areas to date are based on the results of the initialising working groups from all areas of organised sport that were developed in 2017.
Based on the feedback from athletes and coaches as well as the consultation process of the national sports federations, important information for the further development of PotAS can be obtained.
The PotAS Commission endeavours to keep the workload as low as possible. For example, only the third pillar, STRUCTURE, has to be dealt with by the national sports federations. The questions to be answered there are made available to the federations for preparation at an early stage with the publication of the requirements and evaluation guidelines. The enquiry itself is carried out digitally in PotAS' own forms management system. Among other things, the federations have the option of transferring identical answers and evidence to different discipline groups.
FAQs - Sporting Success Pillar
In addition to the Olympic top 3 and top 8 placings, the top 3 and top 8 placings from the target competitions of the previous years defined in the requirements and evaluation guidelines are also taken into account. The SPORTING SUCCESS pillar, like the ATHLETE POTENTIAL pillar, is based on the world rankings, see the following questions.
Target competitions are the highest international competitions of the year. In addition to the Olympic Games, these are usually the world championships or appropriate seasonal goals/highlights. If no World Championships are held in a year to be analysed, the next highest target competition, usually the continental competition, i.e. the European Championships, of the year in question is used. In the run-up to the analysis, the international target competitions to be analysed are named by the national sports federations in consultation with the DOSB.
The fulfilment rates for HA 1 and 3 are based on the placings achieved by all athletes participating in the Summer Olympic Games or in target competitions defined by the DOSB prior to the Summer Olympic Games. Athletes who achieve a result between 1st place and 8th place are awarded points according to a predetermined system. If a nation is represented several times within a competition or within a discipline group between 1st and 8th place, the points achieved are added together. The three nations with the most total points represent the world leaders in the respective discipline group. To assess the success of the German athletes, their discipline group-specific total points are set in relation to these world leaders. Their own result is divided by the average of the best three nations. The resulting percentage value is thus based on the world level and is included as a fulfilment rate in the success attributes HA 1 and HA 3.
FAQs - Athlete Potential Pillar
The calculations are made on the basis of worldwide competition data taken from the sports database of Gracenote Inc. Gracenote converts the competition results into an Elo rating system, which forms the basis of the athlete potential analyses.
The Elo rating is a system that sets the performance level of athletes and teams in a relative relationship to each other based on competition results. This can be used, for example, to obtain information about the most likely outcome of matches or to generate decision-making aids when it comes to nominating promising athletes or teams. The principle was first published in its original form by Arpad E. Elo in 1961.
Further information Method paper on the Elo-based potential analysis 2024
PotAS+G is a cross-sectional and longitudinal processing of the Elo rating system provided by Gracenote, which is used to outline possible development paths and success potential.
Further Information Method paper on the Elo-based potential analysis 2024
FAQs - Federation Structures Pillar
The structural attributes are categorised according to success-relevant challenges, the main attributes. Furthermore, the sub-attributes and questions are grouped into three categories: programmes, personnel and procedures.
Programmes refer to concepts and measures that the federations create or establish in order to meet the various challenges.
Personnel refers to the differentiation of positions and the staffing of these positions with qualified individuals.
Procedures are intended to ensure that committees or competence teams in the federations are continuously dealing with the various challenges.
The structural attributes are used to ask the federations which programmes (concepts and measures), personnel structures and procedures they have in place to overcome structural challenges that are relevant to success. The term ‘functional equivalent’ refers to alternative structures that can be used to achieve equivalent solutions, whereby these must be demonstrated within the specified structural framework.
Yes, if the information in the structure plan corresponds to the criteria of the questions or attributes, you can refer directly to the page numbers in the structure plan. In order to reduce duplication of work as a federation at this point, it is recommended to consider and integrate the criteria of the structural attributes directly when creating or updating the federation-specific structure plan.
The national sports federations can agree to their documents being forwarded to the DOSB when they are uploaded. Following the evaluation and therefore before the structural discussions, the DOSB receives these documents for information. The DOSB has promised to review the reduction of duplicate queries as part of the structural discussions.