The aim of this study is to identify the challenges and intervening threats in the process of talent identification system and elitismin sport of Iran. The research method is a mixed type and actually is a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods. The population at the qualitative stage included 20 managers, coaches, athletes and university professors who are active in the talent identification and elitism of sport. The descriptive-analytical method is used for the quantitative section of the research. In this part, the identified challenges were ranked. Considering that the number of population was not identified, so the maximum sample in the quantitative section including 384 experts and sports trainers were randomly selected. Instruments included a six-part questionnaire of objectives, structure, leadership, communications, reward and facilitative mechanisms that were obtained from the qualitative analysis. These questions are classified in six sections of objectives, structures, leadership, communications, reward and facilitative mechanisms. Face and content validity of the questionnaire was approved by the panel of experts in sport management and its reliability was calculated through Cronbach's alpha (α=0.79). After collecting the questionnaires, data were analyzed in two descriptive and inferential sectionsincluding Friedman Test by usingSPSS 22 software. The results showed that the most important challenges of the non-systematic model of talent identification and elitism of sport in Iran that includecommunications, leadership, reward, facilitative mechanisms, structure and objectives were prioritized.Generally, it can be statedthat non-systematic approaches do not show the nature and reality of sport in Iran and by investment on a limited number of people, sport performance of the country will be involved in fluctuations.
