There was a time when high-performance sport was associated with one unmistakable ambition: pushing beyond limits.

“Faster, Higher, Stronger — Together” was never intended as an invitation to travel, march in an opening ceremony or simply complete a registration form. The Olympic motto represents competition, improvement and the relentless pursuit of excellence.

Yet in some corners of modern sport, that ambition appears to have given way to something far more comfortable: the celebration of participation itself.

What the delegation set out to achieve, what it actually accomplished and how much the athlete improved become secondary. A team photograph, a message of gratitude to the authorities and a statement about “positive feelings” are often enough to portray the experience as a success.

El pacto de la permanencia: entrenadores-funcionarios y atletas eternos

When the coach stops coaching

The problem begins when a coach gradually abandons the technical role and becomes a coach-official.

The coach accumulates positions, joins committees, manages delegations, attends meetings and develops institutional relationships. All of those responsibilities may be necessary. The distortion begins when keeping the position becomes more important than developing athletes capable of competing at the highest level.

At that point, the coach is no longer evaluated by the progress of the athletes. Performance is replaced by the number of trips, training camps, accreditations and social media posts.

There is activity, but not necessarily development. There is international presence, but not always international performance.

And when results fail to arrive, there is often no diagnosis, no correction and no accountability.

There is only a narrative.

The perpetual athlete

In systems with limited domestic competition, another figure may also emerge: the perpetual athlete.

This athlete competes for years —sometimes even decades— without significant results or measurable improvement, yet continues to represent the country because there are no demanding selection processes, credible domestic challengers or transparent criteria for remaining on the national team.

After each elimination, the message sounds familiar:

“Today was not our day, but we leave with positive feelings. The important thing is never to give up, and we are already preparing to represent our country at the next event.”

Refusing to give up is a virtue. It cannot become the only requirement for remaining indefinitely on a national team.

Representing a country is an honour. It should not become an acquired right or a reward for seniority.

An alliance of convenience

The coach-official needs athletes to justify programmes, international trips and institutional activity. The perpetual athlete needs the coach to retain a place on the team.

When neither demands results from the other, a tacit pact of permanence takes shape.

The coach explains why the athlete deserves another opportunity. The athlete supports the coach who continues to provide it. Defeats become “valuable experiences”, early eliminations become “learning opportunities”, and every new appearance is presented as evidence of progress.

Social media completes the cycle. A well-photographed delegation can project an image of success that the sporting results do not support.

Participation is not always competition

Not every athlete must win a medal. Judging performance solely by podium finishes would be simplistic and unfair, particularly for countries with fewer resources, weaker infrastructure and limited domestic competition.

But every high-performance programme must establish clear and verifiable objectives before the event: rounds reached, performance against opponents of a defined level, tactical improvement, ranking points, reduced competitive gaps and fulfilment of the performance plan.

Every evaluation should begin with one basic question:

What was the objective before the trip, and who is accountable when it is not achieved?

If the answer only appears after the defeat, it was probably never an objective. It was an excuse.

Sport requires perseverance, but it also requires selection, standards, renewal and accountability. Otherwise, “together” no longer means advancing towards excellence. It means protecting one another in order to remain.

Because when participation is celebrated as a result, the coach keeps the position, the athlete retains the place—and high-performance sport loses its very reason for existing.

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