18 April 2024 - As one of the core programmes overseen by the IOC Athletes’ Commission, Athlete365 Career+ provides essential support for athletes as they navigate life outside sport. Seventeen new Educators are now certified to deliver workshops around the world after attending a final Train the Trainer session in Lausanne from 22 to 25 March.
Athlete365 Career+ empowers athletes with essential support to enhance their skills, explore career opportunities and successfully transition from sport. Since 2005, this programme has supported more than 60,000 athletes worldwide to prepare for their career transition after sport. In 2023 alone, Athlete365 Career+ delivered 38 workshops across the globe, with 1,147 athletes benefitting from them.
This career development support has now been expanded even further as 17 new Athlete365 Career+ Educators successfully completed Train the Trainer course, which ended with an in-person session at the iconic Olympic Museum and Olympic House in Lausanne.
Educators are now certified to deliver Athlete365 Career+ workshops to athletes in their respective countries, offering practical support and advice on the topics of Self Discovery and CV/Résumé. This new group of Educators will allow the IOC to reach even more athletes around the world, helping them discover their potential and plan for their post-sports career.
It's so important to have an Athlete365 Career+ Educator in all regions of the world and in as many countries as possible. When athletes feel more secure about what the future may hold, it makes them not only much better athletes, but also much better people.
Barbara Kendall, Five-time Olympian and 1992 windsurfing gold medallist, who led the Educator training
Educators come together at Olympic House
The Athlete365 Career+ Train the Trainer course began with 25 hours of online learning, before a final four-day training and certification event in Lausanne, bringing together 17 candidates and 13 previously certified Educators. The 30 attendees came from 23 countries around the world, and included 18 Olympians, sports administrators and others passionate about supporting athletes in their transition away from sport. The diversity of Athlete365 Career+ Educators means that workshops are currently delivered on five continents and in 16 languages, reaching thousands of athletes every year.
“Athletes spend so much time and energy achieving their sporting goals, and sometimes they are unaware of the powerful tools they have to make a successful transition,” said two-time Olympic swimmer from Mexico Javier Careaga OLY, a returning Athlete365 Career+ Educator. “The more athletes can transfer the skills that made them great sportspeople into their professional careers, the more successful we are helping them to be.”
Hazel-Ann Regis-Buckels OLY, who represented Grenada in the 400m at the Olympic Games Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004, is one of the newly qualified Educators and hopes to use her training to make a real difference in her region. “I want to make sure that our younger generation have access to this information at an early age, so they can prepare and make impactful decisions as they move forward with their career,” she said.
Athlete and entourage members supported through Athlete365
The IOC is delivering on Recommendation 3 of Olympic Agenda 2020+5, which aims to reinforce athletes’ rights and responsibilities. It is also strengthening the implementation of the Athletes’ Rights and Responsibilities Declaration (ARRD), which includes increased access to education and the ability to work and study while pursuing their sporting goals.
Resources on various topics are available on Athlete365, the official community for elite athletes, Olympians and entourage members, which provides support through relevant advice, tools and services. Join the community @athlete365
