Development Of Elite Athletes Research Articles

Differences in Exercise Stress, Job Satisfaction, Intention to Quit Exercise, and Quality of Life According to the Psychological Abuse Experiences of Elite Male Athletes.

This study aimed to further understand psychological abuse in sports and contribute to the development of elite sports and athletes' persistent performance by identifying the causal effects of psychological abuse on elite athletes' exercise stress, job satisfaction, intention to quit exercise, and quality of life (QOL). Data were collected from 363 elite South Korean male athletes (ages ≥ 20 years) from August to September 2023. The independent variable for comparative analysis was the presence or absence of psychological abuse in elite male athletes by coaches. The participants were divided into two groups: a non-abuse-experienced group (Group 1) and an abuse-experienced group (Group 2). Participants' demographic and athletic background information (e.g., career and sport) were also collected. This study showed that the three factors (exercise stress, intention to quit exercise, and QOL) were higher in Group 2 than in Group 1. These findings provide a meaningful analysis of the impact of psychological abuse on the mental health, persistence, and overall QOL of elite male athletes that can be used to develop countermeasures and policies against psychological abuse that threatens the mental health of elite athletes.

A Managerial Development Model for Promoting Elite Futsal Players at University

Background and Aim: As the sports industry develops and society pursues a healthy lifestyle, sports are becoming increasingly important in higher education. Futsal, due to its relatively low requirements for field facilities, is more suitable for implementation on university campuses. However, despite the high popularity of futsal on university campuses, most universities' futsal training focuses more on popularization and entertainment, without giving enough attention to the improvement of competitive levels. The purpose of this study was to construct a managerial development model for promoting elite futsal players in university. Materials and Methods: This study is a survey type. The population of this research includes Sampling includes 7 expert interviews. 250 elite futsal players and 20 coaches for the questionnaire method for drafting the managerial development model. 19 experts will be selected to construct the development model for elite futsal players by the Delphi consensus method. 9 experts will be used to verify the draft of the managerial development model for elite futsal players. Using questions created by the researcher that are based on the POLC theories. After analyzing the data, the researcher drafted the managerial development model. After that, send the managerial development model to experts for improvement. Complete editing in the Delphi consensus method and final confirmation with the connoisseurship method by experts. Result: After constructing the draft of the managerial development model for developing elite futsal players in the university, it was found that there were 12 planning elements, 11 organization elements, 14 leading elements, and 8 controlling elements, totaling 45 elements. There are two elements with a mean of 4.44 “A policy has been established to promote elite athletes in universities”, and “Relevant personnel is promoted to attend training in various courses to develop the organization's knowledge in preparing a team of elite futsal athletes”, showing that these three elements are highly effective in use. The remaining elements have an average of 4.56 to 4.76, indicating that these elements are very highly effective in their application. Conclusion: In the development of elite futsal athletes, the experts highlighted that many universities lack a clear management service system structure. This deficiency extends to areas such as budget management within the organization, the allocation of personnel appropriate to their roles and responsibilities, and the preparation of equipment and venues. Consequently, the management plan system lacks specificity. The university should clearly adhere to this policy by allocating time effectively to students. One of the key issues is the lack of communication and collaboration among personnel involved in developing futsal athletes within the university. Additionally, balancing the demands of both learning and studying is in alignment with the established educational system.

Differences and relationships between talent detection, identification, development and selection in sport: A systematic review

Although there are numerous studies on talent, especially talent identification, development, and selection, both on influencing factors and model construction or talent prediction, they have relatively independently explored some of its stages. Undeniably, talent development is continuous and phased, with specific tasks to be completed at each step, and these steps have certain differences and relationships. The aim of this review is to provide a clear distinction between the entire talent cultivation process, with the purpose of having better methods and measures for each stage to minimize the turnover rate and ensure the integrity of the talent development process. Through searching the Web of Science ™ database, this review was performed according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Selected were original articles in English containing data or models related to talent detection/identification/development/selection in sports. A total of 16 articles were included in the study by reviewing the literature. This overview presents the differences and relationships between the four stages of talent cultivation, where these different aspects are aim, purpose, approach, and emphasis. The relationship is characterized by continuity, progressive, complementary, and mutually. This finding shows that each stage is not developed independently, but is an integral part of the talent training process. Additionally, better differentiation and strengthening of the links between the various talent cultivation stages are considered to contribute to elite athlete development. This review highlights the differences and relationships that exist at each stage of talent cultivation. Meanwhile, some measures are also proposed to strengthen the connection of these phases and how to reduce the turnover rate of talent, which can provide theoretical references for coaches or stakeholders. Based on the results of the review, it is also recommended that future research on talent cultivation could take into account the intrinsic linkages between the various stages and develop talent training programs in a multidimensional way.

Degrees of Difficulty: How Women's Gymnastics Rose to Prominence and Fell from Grace by Georgia Cervin

<i>Degrees of Difficulty: How Women's Gymnastics Rose to Prominence and Fell from Grace</i> by Georgia Cervin

Development of elite athletes: An approach from the partial least square path modelling

Literature about elite sports management tends to focus on the analysis of qualitative level of its success factors, especially among developed countries. In consequence, the aim of this study is to perform a predictive causal analysis that examines the factors influencing the development of elite athletes within the Valle del Cauca region in Colombia. 171 valid surveys were performed to direct stakeholders of elite sports. The goodness of fit, the composite reliability, the discriminant validity and the proposed structural model were examined by using the partial least square path modelling via ADANCO software. Empirical results show that for the population under study, competitions (p=.000), sports talent (p=.002), administration of the system (p=.02) and the cultural aspects (p=.002) are the factors that have a direct and positive influence on development of athletes; whereas hypothesis of funding, infrastructure, coaches and scientific research were rejected. This article contributes to the existing literature by providing knowledge of the factors influencing the development of elite athletes within a developing region from a quantitative approach. Keywords: Elite sports; Developing region; PLS path modeling; Sports development.

Examining European Talent Development Environments: Athlete, Parent and Coach Perceptions

ABSTRACT Talent Development Environments (TDEs) aim to provide the appropriate conditions for youth athletes to realise their full sporting potential. How TDEs are designed and operated is therefore of great importance for the development of elite athletes. Stakeholders are vital in this process, yet their perspectives are poorly understood. This study assessed the quality of TDEs across 5 European countries, comparing athlete, parent and coach perceptions. A total of 571 athletes (Mean age = 15.2 ± 1.5 years), 759 parents and 134 coaches were recruited from TDEs across 27 sports. Participants completed the Talent Development Environment Questionnaire-5 or adapted versions. Overall, perceptions of European TDEs were positive. Coaches reported higher perceptions of TDE quality compared to athletes and parents, athletes reported marginally higher perceptions compared to parents. Across stakeholders, Long-Term Development was highest rated, followed by Communication. Support Network was lowest rated. Stakeholder perceptions varied most for the Holistic Quality Preparation subscale, highlighting perceived differences in TDE support for rounded athlete development. From an organisational perspective, identified strengths and weaknesses provide direction to coach and parent education. Practically, TDE leaders should consider how they can refine stakeholder coordination through integrating stakeholder perceptions as valuable feedback into their environment, especially for intangible factors.

What Enables Human Capital Investment Sharing in Elite Sport?

Sport organizations increasingly cooperate to invest in elite athlete development, sometimes even across national boundaries and industry sectors. This study attempts to explain why organizations decide to cooperatively invest by extending human capital theory. A multiple case study of National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) and Kunlun Red Star Hockey Club (KRS) was conducted, including an analysis of 43 interviews and 305 documents. Organizations decided to invest cooperatively because they believed human capital sharing would allow for levels of investment that would otherwise be prohibitively expensive for individual organizations. Four enabling conditions explain when organizations perceive sharing as more effective than human capital “buying” or “making.” The findings extend human capital theory to explain sharing decisions. The cases and theory provide practical insights for managers investing in athlete development and expanding sports leagues.

REVIEW ON THE TRANSFORMATION OF TENNIS DEVELOPMENT IN MALAYSIA

This paper attempts to review the development of tennis in Malaysia and efforts made by its national governing body, Tennis Malaysia and to discuss on the development of tennis in Malaysia through the successful mode of tennis development strategy, and analyzes the successful mode of tennis development strategy in its planning and implementation. Tennis is competing with other sports in attracting the youth to take up the sport as one of their preferred leisure activities. Tennis Malaysia also engages in Junior Development activities to bring junior tennis players up the learning curve and be more competitive. Elite athlete development is the result of a combination of elite sport policies, athlete development pathways and interactions between various stakeholders that are involved in the delivery of athlete development pathways. These factors make elite athlete development a complex, multi-layered and multi-faceted field of study that necessitates specific research efforts that focus on how these factors contribute to elite athlete development in specific sports. Tennis Malaysia and its affiliates have endeavored to raise the standard of the sport in the past few years and have been relatively successful in achieving their objectives although there is much scope for improvement. The national body will continue to implement and improve its approach in developing tennis in Malaysia and will conduct some capacity building activities towards achieving excellence for tennis to continue to grow in all aspects.

Sustainable Financing of Elite Athlete Development: An Empirical Analysis of Winter Sports in Austria

This study examines the value of professional winter sports to the Austrian resident population in the context of three major sporting events (the 2017 World Championships in Alpine Skiing, the 2018 Winter Olympics, and the 2019 World Championships in Nordic Skiing). In nationwide population surveys (n = 2289), the contingent valuation method was employed, and the respondents were presented with two scenarios asking for their willingness-to-pay for live broadcasts and long-term athlete development. The aggregate willingness-to-pay amounted to €42 million (for live broadcasts) and about €800 million (for athlete development). However, only about 20% of the residents expressed a positive willingness-to-pay. The respondents’ willingness-to-pay is not only determined by well-studied factors like consumption capital, intangible factors, and socio-demographics, but also by life satisfaction. The willingness-to-pay for live broadcasts is comparably higher for alpine skiing, while the willingness-to-pay for athlete development is higher for Olympic winter sports athletes. The findings have implications for sport policy and sport finance, highlighting the challenge of turning public sport consumption into a willingness to contribute financially to sustainable athlete development.

Privacy Perceptions and Concerns in Image-Based Dietary Assessment Systems: Questionnaire-Based Study.

BackgroundComplying with individual privacy perceptions is essential when processing personal information for research. Our specific research area is performance development of elite athletes, wherein nutritional aspects are important. Before adopting new automated tools that capture such data, it is crucial to understand and address the privacy concerns of the research subjects that are to be studied. Privacy as contextual integrity emphasizes understanding contextual sensitivity in an information flow. In this study, we explore privacy perceptions in image-based dietary assessments. This research field lacks empirical evidence on what will be considered as privacy violations when exploring trends in long-running studies. Prior studies have only classified images as either private or public depending on their basic content. An assessment and analysis are thus needed to prevent unwanted consequences of privacy breach and other issues perceived as sensitive when designing systems for dietary assessment by using food images.ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to investigate common perceptions of computer systems using food images for dietary assessment. The study delves into perceived risks and data-sharing behaviors.MethodsWe investigated the privacy perceptions of 105 individuals by using a web-based survey. We analyzed these perceptions along with perceived risks in sharing dietary information with third parties.ResultsWe found that understanding the motive behind the use of data increases its chances of sharing with a social group.ConclusionsIn this study, we highlight various privacy concerns that can be addressed during the design phase. A system design that is compliant with general data protection regulations will increase participants’ and stakeholders’ trust in an image-based dietary assessment system. Innovative solutions are needed to reduce the intrusiveness of a continuous assessment. Individuals show varying behaviors for sharing metadata, as knowing what the data is being used for, increases the chance of it being shared.

Innovating Canadian sport policy: towards new public management and public entrepreneurship?

ABSTRACT Policy scholars, both within and outside of sport, have pointed to trends that emphasise neoliberal and free market orientations within public sector organisations. Given such developments, this paper utilises New Public Management (NPM) and Public Entrepreneurship (PE) to explore the Canadian Sport Policy (CSP). Thematic analysis was employed to compare and analyse the 2002 and 2012 CSP documents and other related CSP texts. Study findings demonstrate that while the CSP has expanded in scope since 2002 to 2012 to be more inclusive of both elite athlete development and sport participation for all, including heightened attention to facilitating sporting opportunities for traditionally underrepresented groups, there has also been intensified adoption of NPM approaches and a turn to promoting PE within Canadian sport policy. The NPM and PE ethos encourages innovation, new ideas, and the broadening of the sport sector in Canada; however, and as raised in the discussion, there are also some troubling implications related to the reproduction of inequality and the NPM and PE emphasis in Canadian sport policy that warrant further critical discussion.

Perceptions of European Athletes that Attend American Colleges and Universities for Elite Athletic Development and Higher Education Access

This mixed-method study, using the theoretical construct of Digel, Burk and Fahrner’s Success Resources Model (2016), analyzed data gleaned from perceptions of European Union (EU) citizens who attended American colleges and universities to not only further their education, but to also compete in American intercollegiate athletics. This study further explored factors that influence perceptions of the disadvantages and advantages of both sport delivery systems. Fifty-one athletes participated in the quantitative study with nine athletes taking part in follow up qualitative interviews. The results demonstrate that European athletes believe media coverage, sport-environment, and facilities are the biggest advantages of the U.S. educationally based sports delivery system, while coaches, talent development, and levels of competition are the advantages of the European sports system. Results of this study can be used to enhance and/or change current sport development models to provide better access to elite development, mass participation, and educational opportunities in different worldwide sports development systems. Moreover, the findings can be insightful data for countries outside the United States considering expansion of elite athlete development in the educational space.

Exploring the Influence and Practical Development of Coaches' Psychosocial Behaviors in Strength and Conditioning

ABSTRACT RESEARCH SUGGESTS THAT PSYCHOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS AND SOCIAL BEHAVIORS (E.G., COGNITIVE, PERSONAL, BEHAVIORAL, AND ETHICAL COMPETENCIES) CONTRIBUTE TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF COACHING EFFECTIVENESS AND AS SUCH SHOULD NOT BE NEGLECTED BY STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING (S&amp;C) COACHES. THIS REVIEW EXAMINES THE CURRENT LITERATURE ON THE INFLUENCE OF PSYCHOSOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS AND BEHAVIORS OF THE S&amp;C COACH ON ELITE ATHLETE DEVELOPMENT. IN ADDITION, THIS REVIEW PROVIDES PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS AND GUIDELINES TO COACH DEVELOPERS AND COACH PRACTITIONERS TO DEVELOP SUCH PSYCHOSOCIAL BEHAVIORS USING CONSTRUCTIVIST LEARNING THEORIES IN RELATION TO REFLECTION, STORIES, MENTORSHIPS, AND INTERNSHIPS.

Interplay of motivation and self-regulation throughout the development of elite athletes

ABSTRACT Recent development in the understanding of human motivation has highlighted the crucial and reciprocal role of motivation on cognitive processes. In elite sport settings, athletes are subject to external forces that do not necessarily correspond with their inherent drives. However, they seem to develop cognitive competencies to cope with external forces, when planning, monitoring, and reflecting on their high-level achievements. The current study aims to explore likely interactions between motivation and cognitive processes as athletes develop from novice to elite levels. Five female Olympic and World Championship medallists were interviewed. A thematic analysis revealed how motivation and self-regulation competencies interchangeably influenced athletes’ career trajectories asynchronously. Chronologically, four themes emerged: 1) Motivational shifts evoked planning and self-control competencies, 2) The external control constrained athletes’ self-regulation, 3) Self-control and reflection in extrinsically driven athletes, and 4) Elite athletes’ multidimensional motivation and self-regulation profile. Initially, intrinsic motivation prompted athletes’ participation, but the competitive nature of sport activities led to a shift toward more external forms of motivation. This motivational shift was accompanied by changes in self-regulation competencies, particularly planning and self-control, rather than self-reflection. Over time, athletes’ increased sport-specific self-confidence contributed to further refinement of self-regulation competencies and integrated motivational regulations. Rather than exploring motivation and cognitive competencies individually, current study findings highlight dynamic interactions between these concepts that influences athletes’ ongoing development to elite level performances.

Anthropometrical characteristics of Cuban sporting population: Reference data from a high performance national teams, 1992–2014

Physical structures in Cuban sporting population have changed according to secular trend, sport morphological adaptation, more qualified international championship and changes within the game. The purpose of this study was to provide new anthropometrical references data for many sporting disciplines in a form that may be readily utilized to practice the medical management of athletic training. Primary information source was the Anthropological Project database “Morphological Evolution of Cuban Sporting Population, 1970–2014”, available through the Sports Medicine Institute's Kinanthropometry Department. Forty subjects were selected for each team sport, while 10 subjects were selected for each individual sport or positions and roles within sports. Using all the data, a set of references tables have been obtained based on Whithers et al. equation to estimate percentage body fat, Heath-Carter somatotyping, the sum of six skinfolds, and Fat Free Mass Index. This knowledge offers support to practice the medical management of athletic training, can also offer practical assistance to coaches in the suitable selection for the correct sporting modalities and physical development of elite athletes, by means of diet and training, in accordance with the model anthropomeric characteristics of an elite sporting population. On the other hand, we estimated Whiters et al. six-site skinfold equations, which were derived from high-performance athletes data set.

Framing the Olympic Elite Athlete Funding Issue: A Case Study of Canadian Newspaper Coverage

This article employs media framing theory to examine the debate over public funding to support elite athlete development. More specifically, it examines the discourse in Canadian newspaper coverage of the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games surrounding funding for elite athletes. The article first provides an overview of government funding support for elite athletes in Canada and then reviews relevant literature on media framing theory. Methods are discussed, followed by a summary of the frames found in the data analysis process, which examines frames across two distinct time periods—a period leading up to the Games where many stakeholders worried about the ability of Canadian athletes to perform for the host country and the period during and following the Games (where Canadian athletes achieved unprecedented success in winning medals). Several frames emerged from the media coverage regarding the issue of federal government funds for elite athletes over the periods before and during/after the 2010 Olympic Games. Through examining the frequencies of particular frames, we find that three frames—medal performance and national pride, diversified funding approaches, and sport participation and health benefits—were present in both pre-Olympics and during/post-Olympics periods examined, but the salience of the three frames varied between the time periods.

Navigating the athlete role: identity construction within New Zealand’s elite sport environment

The purpose of this study was to explore how involvement within New Zealand’s elite athlete development programme – athlete carding – has impacted the identity construction of this elite athlete population. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with a purposeful sample of 17 carded athletes from 8 different sports, followed by inductive thematic analysis of emerging key themes. In order to ensure that participants’ voices were accounted for throughout the data representation process, athlete’s individual stories were collated into collective accounts and represented using direct quotes. The potential for participants to become engulfed within the athlete role was evident throughout each of the carded athletes’ stories. In many cases this role was consolidated through expectations on athletes’ time and energies, as well as external scrutiny and performance pressures resulting from their involvement within the carding system. Whilst many athletes appeared to passively accept an increasing emphasis being placed upon their athlete role identity, some seasoned participants questioned why the carding system encouraged this solitary existence at the expense of a more multi-dimensional sense of self. Results suggest that the carded athlete system it is not currently meeting its potential to develop world class ‘holistic’ athletes. As such, it is important that High Performance Sport New Zealand re-examines its policy of performance-based funding and engages in a wide-reaching education programme which promotes the importance of athletes developing a well-balanced sense of self alongside their sporting potential.

“But a champion comes out much, much later”: A sport development case study of the 1968 U.S. Olympic team

Increasing attention has been given to the effective development of elite athletes. In this inquiry, the authors used a historical case study to ascertain the ways elite athletes were developed in a different era of sport in the United States. Using the attraction, retention, and transition frameworks, the factors that fostered the development of athletes from the 1968 Summer Olympics were drawn out through oral history interviews. In total, interviews with 59U.S. Olympians were conducted. The results reveal how the athletes experienced supportive recruitment and retention environments, were able to manage the difficulty of developing elite talent, and encountered both challenges and opportunities transitioning through and out of elite sport. This analysis demonstrates how sport development principles are diverse in their temporal relevance and reinforce the practical implications meant to serve the modern athlete. Further, at least some sport development principles could remain constant regardless of how context and elite athlete experiences evolve in the future.

Long-Term Prognostic Validity of Talent Selections: Comparing National and Regional Coaches, Laypersons and Novices.

In most sports, the development of elite athletes is a long-term process of talent identification and support. Typically, talent selection systems administer a multi-faceted strategy including national coach observations and varying physical and psychological tests when deciding who is chosen for talent development. The aim of this exploratory study was to evaluate the prognostic validity of talent selections by varying groups 10 years after they had been conducted. This study used a unique, multi-phased approach. Phase 1 involved players (n = 68) in 2001 completing a battery of general and sport-specific tests of handball ‘talent’ and performance. In Phase 2, national and regional coaches (n = 7) in 2001 who attended training camps identified the most talented players. In Phase 3, current novice and advanced handball players (n = 12 in each group) selected the most talented from short videos of matches played during the talent camp. Analyses compared predictions among all groups with a best model-fit derived from the motor tests. Results revealed little difference between regional and national coaches in the prediction of future performance and little difference in forecasting performance between novices and players. The best model-fit regression by the motor-tests outperformed all predictions. While several limitations are discussed, this study is a useful starting point for future investigations considering athlete selection decisions in talent identification in sport.

A meta-synthesis of elite athletes’ experiences in dual career development

AbstractDual career development of elite athletes has gained wide attention in the past two decades. The purpose of this study is to employ a qualitative meta-synthesis method to explore the literature on dual career experiences of elite athletes from 1996 to 2015. A total of nine studies were examined with regard to how elite athletes experience dual careers (combining athletic career with education or work). Inclusion and exclusion criteria were developed during the process to produce a clear statement of applicability of this study. A thematic synthesis was performed and a map of constructs reflected that interpersonal issues played an inter-connected and essential role in influencing elite athletes to a large extent. Potential stakeholders, especially parents and peers, were considered significant targets in implementing support programmes in order to impact the perceptions and feelings of elite athletes towards a dual career. Further research is needed to apply the findings of this study as a concept...