Towards An Understanding of Talent Identification in Elite Sport

The purpose of this thesis was to examine the efficacy of talent identification (TID) programs in predicting future success in elite-level sport. A systematic literature review was performed in phase 1 to synthesize the existing studies. Findings from this review highlighted a high degree of homogeneity in the samples and inconclusive outcomes for the variables examined. The objective of phase 2 was to discern whether testing variables employed by Golf Canada (GC) were effective in discriminating skilled from less-skill athletes. Findings revealed that their TID model does not hold discriminative or predictive utility. This thesis contributes to a limited literature base and provides direction for future research to enhance the selection process for elite-level athletes.