Many athletes from almost all countries prepare for years aspiring to participate in the Olympic Games (OG). The responsibility to select the athletes who will represent the country in the Games belongs to the respective National Olympic Committee (NOC). In order to select those who have better chances to perform well in the Games some NOCs have established selection criteria. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of the Hellenic Olympic Committee`s (HOC) Selection Criteria System (SCS) for the athletes who participated in the Athens 2004 OG. The methodology used included review of relevant literature, interviews from key people and personal involvement in the process. The results showed that with the introduction of the SCS Greek athletes achieved better results at the international level, including the 2004 OG. It was concluded that the HOC succeeded in establishing fair and transparent selection criteria for the athletes aspiring to participate in the OG and allowed the organization to make easier and better decisions regarding the selection of the athletes who would participate in the 2004 edition.
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