Sharapoff (34) proved his ability as coaching co-ordinator for Canterbury athletics by putting 1000 teachers through a track and field coaching course over the past three years.
"We have a very strong programme for athletics in Canterbury schools and I want to extend this to the whole country," Sharapoff told the Otago Daily Times from Christchurch yesterday.
Sharapoff, who will be based in Wellington, starts his new job at the beginning of September.
He plans to implement a new coaching structure for New Zealand in partnership with Sparc and wants it to become world class.
"I will review the current frameworks that are in operation around the world and implement a model that is best for New Zealand," he said.
A model in use at the moment is the Coach Force system which is administered through the regional sports trusts.
There are Coach Force co-ordinators operating in athletics in five centres - Otago, Hamilton, Wanganui, Canterbury and Taranaki.
Sharapoff was educated at Otago Boys High School and was one of Otago's top athletes in the sprints and jumps until his active career came to a premature end in 2001.
He was a nationally ranked long and high jump specialist when he nearly died after collapsing during a basketball match.
Before his collapse, Sharapoff, who still holds the Otago men's aged 17 and 18 high jump record at 2.07m, twice won the Dunedin Timebuster race around the Octagon and also played basketball. He regularly trained up to 30 hours a week.
He had a best long jump of 6.86m.
When he collapsed, his heart rate had rocketed to about 260 beats a minute. His usual resting rate was in the 50s.
A specialist discovered that Sharapoff had a rare condition known as arhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia, which causes dangerously high heart rates.
Doctors fitted into Sharapoff's chest a pacemaker which delivers an electric shock to his heart if it speeds up unnaturally.
He was forced to give up his job as a media sales representative at Channel 9 television in Dunedin and was not allowed to drive. His athletics and basketball careers came to an end.
Sharapoff has learned to manage his condition and will not be restricted in his work as a sports administrator.
