BBC seeks out young sport stars born to win

The BBC is to follow up Fame Academy with a new TV talent show aimed at creating sporting superstars, it was announced today.

Born To Win will take 16 young hopefuls who dream of making it to the top of their chosen sport – from football to Formula One.

They will compete against each other in a series of physical and mental challenges until they are whittled down to one male and one female winner.

The prize is a bursary and expert coaching to help them reach the top flight.

Anyone between the ages of 16 and 18 can apply and the BBC is welcoming applicants “from both inside and outside mainstream sport”.

A BBC spokesman insisted that all sports would be considered equal – whether they be table tennis, ice dancing, darts or snooker.

The precise nature of the final challenges has not been revealed but it remains to be seen how they will measure a would-be David Beckham against a wannabe Ronnie O’Sullivan.

Disabled sportsmen and women are also being encouraged to enter and will compete alongside the able-bodied.

“This competition is open to everybody. It is not the particular sport that counts, but how you perform as an all-round athlete and your attitude. It doesn’t matter if you have never played competitive sport in your life.

“A snooker player would have just as much chance as a footballer – snooker players have their own talents and it’s perfectly possible they might have physical attributes in addition to that anyway,” he said.

“We are searching for sporting potential, two individuals who are physically and psychologically very special. It’s not the programme makers’ intention to be prescriptive about what sports the winners will pursue.”

The programme will be screened on BBC1 this autumn. Hopefuls can enter the competition from today by filling out an online application form and questionnaire.

Successful applicants will be put through their paces at nationwide trials with physical tests which measure their endurance, speed, strength and all-round ability.

The best competitors will be invited to take part in two days of rigorous physical and psychological competition at Loughborough University.

The 16 strongest performers will then travel to a top sports complex in Europe for the final, which takes place over two weeks.

Unlike Fame Academy, there will be no judging panel and no public voting - instead the contestants will go through knockout heats until only two winners remain.

The BBC were quick to counter the suggestion that 16 is already too old for sporting talent to be unearthed.

They pointed out that Les Ferdinand was discovered at 21 playing non-League football, Linford Christie was in his mid-20s before devoting his time to athletics and Jonathan Edwards was over 16 when he realised he had a future in the triple jump.

“We are searching for sporting potential and believe the system we’ve set up will allow us to discover the talent which may have slipped through the traditional scouting process, with its focus on finding them young,” the spokesman said.

A number of sporting stars will take part in the programme, which aims to encourage young people to lead an active lifestyle and is backed by the British Olympic Association.

It also hopes to cast light on the nature versus nurture argument by investigating whether some people really are born to win.

The BBC is hoping that thousands of teenagers will take up the challenge. They are sending posters to every secondary school in the UK and running a high-profile ad campaign.

Even those who do not make it through to the final 16 could find themselves heading for sporting greatness.

Scouts will be present at the Loughborough trials and details from promising youngsters will be passed on to the relevant sporting bodies.

To apply, either log on to www.bbc.co.uk/borntowin or text 80125 and type keyword WIN.