Elite Sport Research Articles

Performance support team effectiveness in elite sport: a narrative review

ABSTRACT In pursuit of competitive advantage, elite sport organizations are increasingly relying on the support of diverse sport medicine and sport science staff, who are collectively referred to as the performance support team. Whilst it has been suggested that the accumulative input from diverse multiteam systems has the potential to contribute to a resultant whole that is greater than the sum of its parts, team effectiveness is reliant on more than the mere aggregate of diverse experts. The aim of this narrative review was to appraise, summarize, and apply pertinent performance support team literature to a conceptual framework for teamwork and team effectiveness in sport. It specifically explores team effectiveness, with reference to its inputs (i.e. characteristics of individual, team, and environment) and mediators (i.e. team processes and emergent states). This review provides an insight into the individual (i.e. disciplinary knowledge, technical competency, and interpersonal qualities), team (i.e. team composition and leadership), and external (i.e. hierarchical arrangement and environmental factors) inputs that are necessary for team effectiveness, as well as the mediators (i.e. behavioral processes and emergent states) that translate such inputs into desired outcomes.

Integration of sport and education in China: a case study of a dual career development environment of a Shanghai junior men’s basketball team

ABSTRACT In the context of China’s integration of sports and education (ISE), a Shanghai junior men’s basketball team was established through a collaboration between a district elite sport school and six regular schools. Using the holistic ecological approach, this case study investigated the dual career development environment (DCDE) of the team, aiming to (a) describe the successful DCDE and (b) identify factors influencing its effectiveness (DC-ESF). Data were collected from key stakeholders via participant observations, informal talks, and formal interviews to derive the DCDE and DC-ESF empirical models. The DCDE was characterised by: (a) parents serving as dual career (DC) supporters for their respective children at the micro-level; (b) a supportive and flexible head coach promoting DC development for student-athletes; (c) the ISE Committee bridging the study and sports domains at the macro-level; (d) a shared DC philosophy among parents, providing flexible solutions with the help of the head coach, maintaining the equal importance of sport and study, and viewing student-athletes as developing persons for achieving an optimal DC balance; and (e) helping student-athletes develop multiple identities and DC competencies. In conclusion, this study contributes to the understanding of DCDEs within the Chinese cultural context and supplements the DC discourse.

Digital technology for the national sport development: Designing a database model to analyse elite sports data

Relational database models offer a pathway for the storage, standardization, and analysis of factors influencing national sports development. While existing research delves into the factors linked with sporting success, there remains an unexplored avenue for the design of databases that seamlessly integrate quantitative analyses of these factors. This study aims to design a relational database to store and analyse quantitative sport development data by employing information technology tools. The database design was carried out in three phases: (i) exploratory study for context analysis, identification, and delimitation of the data scope; (ii) data extraction from primary sources and cataloguing; (iii) database design to allow an integrated analysis of different dimensions and production of quantitative indicators. An entity-relationship diagram and an entity-relationship model were built to organize and store information relating to sports, organizations, people, investments, venues, facilities, materials, events, and sports results, enabling the sharing of data across tables and avoiding redundancies. This strategy demonstrated potential for future knowledge advancement by including the establishment of perpetual data updates through coding and web scraping. This, in turn, empowers the continuous evaluation and vigilance of organizational performance metrics and sports development policies, aligning seamlessly with the journal’s focus on cutting-edge methodologies in the realm of digital technology.

Finding a way in and making it stick: an exploration of chiropractor experiences working in team-oriented elite sport practice settings

Interprofessional healthcare teams have become the benchmark for optimising athlete health and performance in high-stakes sports. Despite a history of utility as provider partners, chiropractors are currently a relatively underutilised...

Applications of AI in martial arts: A survey

Artificial intelligence (AI) has become an interdisciplinary subject that integrates digital image processing, machine learning, and computer science, etc. A lot of work in martial arts benefits from AI technology. In this paper, we highlight and summarize the applications of AI in martial arts and indicate the main progress of related studies. Through the investigation of martial arts styles, tasks, data acquisition methods, and algorithm improvements, a paradigm that represents a possible technological process for an intelligent martial arts training system was summarized. These applications bring more scientific training and more effective technical analysis to martial arts. Furthermore, this paper delves into specific AI applications in areas such as action recognition, pose estimation, action evaluation, elite athlete support, sports betting, health care, animation generation, and competition field segmentation. By exploring these areas, the research prospects of AI applications in martial arts are comprehensively discussed. This paper inspires further research on martial arts by using AI, which includes helping researchers expand their research ideas and research methods, identify frontier issues, and innovate based on existing research.

Unravelling the threat of contamination in elite sports: Exploring diverse sources impacting adverse analytical findings and the risk of inadvertent exposure to prohibited substances

In recent years, increasing concerns have emerged regarding athletes being exposed to various sources of contamination that could result in an adverse analytical finding (AAF), which is considered a positive doping test and may lead to the athlete's sanction. This review aims to examine the potential sources of contamination. Firstly, exogenous sources such as food, water, supplements, and medications will be described, along with endogenous sources, primarily arising from the athlete’s physiological condition via the biotransformation of Medications. Finally, other hypothetical contaminations arising from sample collection procedures, poor transport or storage, and laboratory conditions will be discussed. Despite some legislative efforts to regulate the production of food and supplements, contamination remains a significant concern in the context of anti-doping, necessitating athletes to stay vigilant against the risks of inadvertent uptake of illicit products. Increased knowledge of the potential sources of contamination is essential for all parties involved in the fight against doping, including athletes, support personnel, legitimate supplement product manufacturers, and the anti-doping and scientific community. Such insights can contribute to developing the most effective strategy for preventing contamination and, most importantly, reducing the risk of inadvertent AAFs.

Pick your battles: Elite ski-jumpers’ motives affect world cup performance depending on competition type

According to motive disposition theory, athletes high in affiliation motivation should find team contexts more rewarding than individual contexts, and hence perform better in a team than in individual competitions. The opposite is predicted for athletes high in power motivation. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to test these hypotheses in an elite sample (here: ski jumping athletes) based on archived worldcup competition data from both individual and team competitions on the one hand, and self-reported and projectively assessed motives on the other hand. Results confirmed that even at the highest levels of professional sports, individual differences in motives show systematic relationships to competition performance. First, the negative impact of athletes' projectively assessed affiliation motive in individual competitions was significantly attenuated in team competitions, indicating that these represent more favourable conditions for athletes high in affiliation. Second, the projectively assessed power motive exhibited an overall negative relationship to performance. In contrast, self-reported achievement and affiliation motives showed a positive relationhip to performance. These findings attest to the role of personality differences in predicting motor performance variability in elite sports.

‘Yes, I’m an Elite athlete and I’m Gay’: Experiences of elite gay male athletes in Spain

There is a broad academic consensus that sexual minorities have been marginalised in sports culture. The present research is the first to explore the experiences of gay male elite athletes in Spain. Drawing on 11 semi-structured interviews with these athletes, this paper focuses on the experiences of being gay in elite sport. Guided by Connell's concept of hegemonic masculinity and the process of individualisation, our findings show that all the athletes have experienced or witnessed homonegativity, but at the same time have been empowered by sport. These athletes are paving the way for a more diverse masculinity in sport and making male homosexuality more visible. For continued improvements, it is important to implement more effective, inclusive sports policies and to introduce specific training for stakeholders.

Training Model for Extended Career Athletes: A Narrative Review.

Today's elite and professional sports tend to feature older, more seasoned athletes, who have longer sporting careers. As advancing age can potentially limit peak performance, balancing training load is necessary to maintain an optimal state of performance and extend their sports career. To describe an appropriate training model for extended career athletes. Medline (PubMed), SPORTDiscus, ScienceDirect, Web of Science, and Google Scholar. A search of the literature between January 1, 2015 and November 22, 2023 was performed in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Narrative review. Level 4. Data were extracted from studies related to the management of training and performance of athletes with extended and long careers. A total of 21 articles related to extended careers were found. Key themes from these papers included: expertise, biological maturation, and specificity; epidemiology and health; athlete monitoring; strength training; load management and detraining; success management. A training model for extended career athletes should balance the deleterious effects of age with the athletes' knowledge of, and expertise within, the sport. Designing specific training that accommodates previous injuries, training load intolerances, and caters for quality of life after retirement should be key considerations. Load management strategies for athletes with extended careers should include strength training adaptations to minimize pain, load-response monitoring, a broad range of movement, recovery and intensity activities, and the avoidance of large training load peaks and periods of inactivity.

You have to work twice as hard as a woman to show that you are competent. Experiences, opportunities and workplace gender harassment for Sport and Exercise Medicine practitioners working in elite sport in Australia

ObjectiveOur aim was to investigate (1) gender representation, (2) opportunities and training and (3) harassment experiences in Sport and Exercise Medicine (SEM) practitioners working in elite sport in Australia.MethodsAll titled...

A Dialogical Self Approach to Self-Innovation and Narrative Continuity in Retirement From Elite Sport

This case study aims to uncover the processes of narrative change in retirement from elite sport. Using Dialogical Self Theory, we examined resistance to retirement and narrative work in a recently retired, Swiss, male elite athlete from an individual sport. Two narrative interviews at 3-months and 1-year post retirement were analyzed using a holistic-content analysis, and an analysis of multivoicedness and innovative moments. We identified 39 I-positions and key innovative moments which were exceptions to the athlete’s problematic narrative and supported athletic retirement. Importantly, results demonstrate that the participant’s self-innovation began proactively before retirement, was necessitated by dialogue and supported by the introduction of a new future-oriented position, the position I-as-healing. Innovation continued after retirement and the position I-as self-reflective allowed the athlete to observe changes to his self-concept and restore continuity. Based on our findings, athletes should be supported in accessing a variety of I-positions to enable rich inner dialogue before they approach retirement from elite sport. Reflective practices which encourage meta-positions and help trace continuity far into their futures may also be advantageous. Practical considerations for the identification of I-positions in personal narratives during transitions are discussed.

How technological impacts on performance have been managed in elite sport: a powerlifting example.

How technological impacts on performance have been managed in elite sport: a powerlifting example.

Geriatric medicine and Olympic elite sports-parallels and philosophies.

The 30th Olympiad took place in July 2024. At first glance, sports science and training of elite athletes may appear to be of little relevance to geriatric medicine. However, there are important parallels between the practice of geriatric medicine and elite sports and lessons that we can learn from our sports science colleagues. Elite athletes and older people are operating at the margins of physiological capacity. Both benefit from tailored, scientifically informed training programmes delivered and monitored by a multidisciplinary team. There are parallels between the comprehensive geriatric assessment and the philosophy of marginal gains pioneered by British Cycling. Insights into the biology of skeletal muscle function are beginning to translate into the development of clinical interventions and substances that offer an unfair advantage in sport by improving muscle strength and physical performance may be of therapeutic benefit in sarcopenia. The 2024 Olympics provide an opportunity for us to learn lessons for excellence in our research and provide an opportunity to promote exercise across the life course-important for healthy ageing.

Exploring pregnancy and postpartum experiences among geographically diverse elite athletes: A qualitative study

ObjectivesFemale athletes who experience childbirth during their athletic careers can expect to return to elite sports postpartum and perform at a comparable or improved level. However, mothering athletes often encounter significant barriers when re-entering elite sports. The aim of this study was to explore the experiences of a geographically diverse group of mothering athletes who returned to elite sports after childbirth. DesignQualitative phenomenological research design using semi-structured interviews. MethodsIn-depth one-on-one interviews were conducted with nineteen mothering elite running athletes hailing from fourteen different countries. Interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using thematic analysis. ResultsFindings were generated into five main themes: (1) Deciding to become a mother, (2) revealing pregnancy to stakeholders, (3) experience of pregnancy, (4) combining motherhood and elite running, and (5) improvement strategies to support athlete mothers. The findings revealed that participants experienced stress regarding their pregnancy announcements due to concerns about potential repercussions on their careers. These concerns included the impact on sponsorship deals, relationships with governing bodies, and interactions with their coaches. Participants felt their elite coaches and health practitioners had insufficient education to support them throughout their pregnancies and postpartum return to elite running. Finally, athletes express a sense of diminished pressure and increased motivation in races upon resuming their elite careers, attributing their improved athletic performance postpartum to their shift in focus from themselves to their child. ConclusionsThis study illuminates challenges and offers valuable insights to coaches, sponsors, health practitioners, exercise professionals, researchers, race organizers, and governing athletic bodies in better supporting mothering athletes.

Well-being needs of elite sports coaches

Well-being needs of elite sports coaches

Centralizing an ecological sport psychology through science-practice dialectics

There has been considerable discussion for more than 50 years of how scientists and practitioners in elite level sport can work collaboratively to ensure that evidence-based practice augments the sport performance and human development of elite amateur and professional athletes. The bridging of these two, often disparate competencies, science and practice, though considered at the conceptual level, continues to be scarcely evidenced within the international sport science community. Much of the research that frames the experiences of elite athletes and their consequent needs, is heavily influenced by scientists, often without direct reciprocity to bridge science, theory, and applied context. The knowledge influencing these interventions has derived from qualitative methods, such as semi-structured interviews, surveys, and focus groups, as well as a breadth of psychometric assessments. Though these approaches to gathering robust data are a necessary part of inquiry, they often produce decontextualized data collection strategies and results, which can lead to generalized, ineffective practices in sport performance environments. Within this submission, the first author cooperated with an international team of scientist-practitioners who are well versed in elite sport to delineate ecologically sound science-practice reciprocity. The authors consider the strengths and weaknesses of conventional qualitative research strategies in terms of their utility and the parlance of evidence into intervention and world-class performance. Two emerging, context driven approaches to inquiry are proposed; arts-based methods and an idiosyncratic approach to ethnography to encourage the reader toward an expanded selection of inquiry approaches from which better understanding and intervention can be generated. This contribution conclude with summary points to open further possibilities for innovative science to practice approaches.

Trends in Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction Techniques and Postoperative Care Among Leaders in the Field: A Survey of the Herodicus Society.

Despite a growing body of literature regarding anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR), there remains a wide diversity in surgical technique and clinical practice across providers. To (1) describe current ACLR practice preferences among members of the Herodicus society and (2) determine whether these preferences are influenced by years in practice and overall surgical volume. Cross-sectional study. A 24-question survey investigating surgeons' practices and preferred ACLR surgical techniques was sent via email to all active Herodicus Society members. Survey responses were subdivided by years of experience and overall ACLR annual case volume. Descriptive statistics were compiled and chi-square testing was utilized to determine the significance of experience and case volume on survey responses. Of the 113 invited Herodicus Society members who perform ACLR, 69 (61%) completed the survey. Respondents had a mean ± SD of 30.9 ± 9.8 years of experience in clinical practice and performed a mean of 96.0 ± 50.7 primary and 21.6 ± 16.9 revision ACLR annually. Of revision cases, 72.1% were performed using a single-stage technique. Mean frequency of graft usage by surgeon was bone-patellar tendon-bone autograft (58.6%), quadriceps autograft (14.6%), hamstring tendon autograft (14.0%), and allograft (11.8%). The plurality of surgeons responded that they used anterolateral augmentation "rarely" in primary ACLR (39.1%) and "sometimes" in revision ACLR (31.9%), with the majority performing lateral extra-articular tenodesis (66.7%) rather than anterolateral ligament reconstruction (14.5%). Most surgeons would not allow a 20-year-old football player to return before 7 months after ACLR (71.0%) but highly valued return-to-sports testing to determine readiness (94.2%). Higher volume surgeons performed single-stage revision ACLR at a significantly higher rate (79.8% vs 62.9%, P = .02) and significantly differed in return-to-sports criteria, with a greater proportion relying primarily on biometric testing (P = .01). The survey demonstrated that, in the Herodicus Society, a wide range of preferences exist regarding ACLR surgical technique. Bone-patellar tendon-bone autograft is the most frequent primary ACLR graft choice. Most participants have not embraced newer techniques such as anterolateral or suture tape augmentation. Return to sports is generally not allowed before 7 months and heavily factors-in return-to-sports testing metrics, suggesting that purely time-based criteria for return to sports is not modern practice among elite sports medicine surgeons.

Integrating scientific recommendations for the development and promotion of junior elite athletes in Germany – an analysis of sports policy documents

ABSTRACT This study examines the integration of holistic talent development goals into the sports policy documents of governmental and non-governmental sports organisations in Germany. More specifically, it analyses (1) the extent to which talent development and promotion goals of key actors involved in junior elite sport reflect scientific recommendations, and (2) how these goals differ between key actors. Different goal dimensions of holistic talent development were explored namely long-term sporting development, competitions, dual career, personal development and wellbeing. To this end, document analysis was conducted for 30 sports policy documents published by 22 key actors (federal and state ministries, sports confederations and sports federations) involved in talent development and promotion in Germany and analysed using quantitative content analysis. The results indicate that political institutions in Germany recognise and respect the autonomy of sports to specify their operational goals in talent development policies. The sports organisations’ documents present a fragmented picture in terms of the integration of scientifically recommended goals. While the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) largely aligns with holistic goals, no comprehensive and systematic knowledge transfer seems to have taken place to regional confederations and sports federations, in which organisational perspectives appear to be influential. This study extends the literature on knowledge transfer of sports science to a policy perspective and offers valuable insights into the integration of scientifically recommended goals in talent development and promotion policies, both for science and practice.

Why don’t former female athletes have kids? Exploring career and post-career paths in elite sport in Switzerland

Female elite athletes are less likely than male elite athletes to have children during their careers, in part because of the difficulty of balancing motherhood and elite sports. Does this childlessness gap disappear or persist in the post-career period? What factors determine the childlessness of former athletes? The article presents the results of a quantitative cross-sectional study of 1255 former elite athletes who participated in at least one national competition in their discipline and reside in Switzerland. The results indicate that women are more likely than men to remain childless in the post-career years, and that they are also more likely than women in the general population to remain childless. The analyses point to the importance of the gendered orientation of sport socialization (for instance, essentialist representations, valorization of masculinity) in understanding ex-athletes’ relationship to parenthood and in explaining their childlessness. Examining the phenomenon of childlessness reveals that socialization of athletes in gendered sport leaves traces on their representations and practices that are visible even after their careers have ended. In particular, women who have experienced the most inverted gender socialization by playing a male sport have the highest rate of childlessness.

Dropout in elite sport: What stressors and resilience factors are perceived in youth sport climbing?

Introduction & Purpose Psychosocial stress is a major risk factor for the development of a wide range of psychiatric and somatic illnesses (Hughes et al., 2017). Social factors such as perceived autonomy and competence, relatedness and task climate appear to be related to people dropping out of a sport (Balish et al., 2014). To this point in time, the developmental aspects in youth sports are insufficiently described in the literature. Previous studies dealing with dropout have indicated critical aspects on a personal, contextual, chronological, and procedural level (Moulds et al., 2024). The perception of these aspects seems to determine the individual stress experience. Therefore, the aim of the study was to identify stressors and resources in youth sport climbing and to gain a deeper understanding of how these relate to dropout. Methods Guided by the theoretical framework of the bioecological system theory (Bronfenbrenner & Morris, 2006), two active and six non-active climbers between the ages of 18 and 25 were interviewed using a semi-structured interview approach. The non-active climbers were dropouts, defined here as an athlete ending their competitive sport career before reaching their individual performance peak. In this case they were asked about the related circumstances. Active athletes started the interview from their current perspective. Each development-relevant factor (person, process, context, time; Bronfenbrenner & Morris, 2006) was then reflected on in terms of resources and stressors. The inclusion criterion was the qualification for the national team. A qualitative content analysis was carried out according to Mayring and Fenzl (2022). The data was analyzed using MAXQDA 24 software. Results The interviewed climbers addressed the context of family, school, social environment, training, and personal factors. A high level of social interaction was experienced. The topics of bodyweight and nutrition were often reported with negative connotations, particularly impacted by external factors. Communication skills were a consistently mentioned factor as a resource and potential stressor. A lack of individualisation and opportunities for personal development were reported as long-term stress factors. Feelings of responsibility and self-inflicted pressure were described as additional loads. Professional attachment was reported as a personal resource when positively evaluated. Reflection skills were recognised as a helpful stress management tool. As illustrated in Figure 1, the mindset of individuals appears to be shaped by the internal and external interplay of available resources, aspects of motivation and beliefs that are internalised. Discussion & Conclusion Several factors seem to interact modifying an individual’s experience of stress. The perception of stress at a certain point in time must be seen as a combination of the load experienced and the individual available resources. Sport-specific requirements should be considered. Dropout can be one of the consequences of overall stress in competitive sports and should be analysed systemically. The intention was to identify starting points for reducing dropout rates in sports and support health-promoting participation. These are the first results of this project, in which further athletes from climbing and other sports will be interviewed.