Perceptions Of Athletes Research Articles

Parent and Youth Athlete Perceptions of Concussion Injury: Establishing a Factor Structure.

The first objective was to establish the respective factor structures of a concussion perceptions inventory that was adapted for youth athletes (ages 8-14years) and their parents from the Perceptions of Concussion Inventory for Athletes. The second objective was to understand the associations between the concussion perceptions of youth athlete-parent dyads. In this cross-sectional study, 329 parent-youth athlete dyads completed a respective concussion perception inventory. Mean age of youth respondents was 10.9 ± 1.8years (70.1% male) and mean age of parent respondents was 40.5 ± 13.6years (60.9% female). Exploratory factor analyses revealed unique 7-factor structures for both the youth athlete and parent inventories (youth athlete: anxiety, clarity, treatment, permanent injury, symptom variability, long-term outcomes, and personal control; parent: anxiety, clarity, treatment, permanent injury, symptom variability, and long-term outcomes, and affect others). Weak associations were found between dyads on the 5 factors that were composed of identical items (anxiety, clarity, treatment, permanent injury, and symptom variability). Findings suggest that this adapted inventory has adequate psychometric properties to be used in the study of the concussion perceptions of youth athletes and their parents. Weak correlations across the concussion perceptions in the dyads suggest that parents and children hold different concussion perceptions and this should be considered in instrument selection of future studies.

Monkey see, monkey do? Exploring parent-athlete behaviours from youth athletes' perspective.

Parents are an important social agent that can shape their child's behaviour in sport. However, the association between a youth athlete's perception of their parent's sideline sport behaviour and their own sporting behaviours is currently unclear. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to explore the relationship between parent and youth athlete behaviours in sport settings. Australian youth athletes (n = 67) participating in team-based sports completed an online survey where they reported their parents positive and negative sideline behaviours and their own prosocial and antisocial sport behaviour during the past month. Linear regression results suggested that parent's positive behaviours were associated with youth prosocial behaviours, whereas parent's negative behaviours were associated with youth antisocial behaviours. Results provide preliminary quantitative evidence that youth athletes' perceptions of their parents' sideline behaviours predict their own on-field behaviours. As antisocial athlete behaviours were positively associated with parent negative behaviours, sport organisations should target, and ideally eliminate, negative parent behaviours. Conversely, to improve prosocial athlete behaviour, encouraging positive parent behaviours should be promoted.

Lower Extremity Asymmetry Values Derived From Multiple Strength Testing Modes Are Associated With Perceived Functional Capabilities Among University Athletes.

Background: Muscle strength asymmetry and athlete introspective measures are associated with musculoskeletal (MSK) sport injury and reinjury. However, the interrelationship between mechanical and subjective measures of concentric and eccentric limb function needs further exploration. This includes investigating if an athlete's perception of their overall MSK function influences limb asymmetry across different testing modalities. Objectives: To (i) explore the interrelationship between mechanical and subjective measures of lower limb function in university athletes and (ii) compare the consistency in interlimb strength asymmetries across different strength tests in groups of athletes with good, fair, and poor perceived limb function. Methods: University athletes (n = 175; n = 87 females) from six sports completed four tests of muscle strength, power, and plyometric function along with an assessment of perceived limb function using the Sport Fitness Index (SFI). Participants were categorized into high (GOODSFI), fair (FAIRSFI), and poor (POORSFI) perceived overall MSK function (perceived function) groups. Strength asymmetry indexes evaluated interlimb differences in concentric and eccentric maximal strength, countermovement jump (CMJ) impulse, unilateral CMJ height, and reactive strength index in unilateral repeat hop testing. Cumulative link mixed-effects models assessed the relationship between strength asymmetries and perceived limb function. Results: The POORSFI group showed increased asymmetry in concentric strength testing (p = 0.022), more consistent interlimb asymmetries (p < 0.001), and reduced overall muscle strength compared to the GOODSFI group. Conclusion: Higher interlimb asymmetry in maximal concentric strength measures along with reduced muscle strength was found in the POORSFI group compared to the GOODSFI group. The POORSFI group also showed greater consistency in muscle strength asymmetry derived across different tasks.

Psychological Safety: A Qualitative Study on Coach and Athlete Perceptions

Aims: The concept of psychological safety has received growing interest within a sport context in recent years. Despite a small but growing body of literature, there is still a lack of conceptual clarity, and thus research is needed to gain a better understanding of how psychological safety manifests in sport. Existing literature suggests psychological safety may allow for positive outcomes in various sport settings. As this may be of interest to many coaches and sporting organisations, a deeper evidence base will prove beneficial for further support to this claim. The aim of the current study was to garner conceptual clarity by gathering coach and athlete perceptions of psychological safety in high-performance pathway sport environments. Methods: Qualitative findings of six focus groups with coaches (two focus groups) and athletes (four focus groups) were comprised of four sports (association football, boxing, field hockey, and swimming). A total of 25 participants included 18 athletes (Mage = 19.6 years; Mexperience = 10.6 years) and seven coaches (Mage = 45 years; Mexperience = 19.6 years) who discussed psychological safety within their high-performance pathway sport environment. Focus groups lasted from 36 to 78 minutes (Mlength = 56 min). Qualitative content analysis was utilised to categorise themes identified from the focus groups. Findings: Findings offer a conceptualisation of the defining attributes (e.g., freedom to speak freely and raise issues), antecedents (e.g., positional competition, selection, and deselection), and outcomes (e.g., positive climate and enjoyment of sport) of psychological safety in sport settings. One of the key takeaways within the findings suggests that psychological safety in a sport context may manifest in a dual process, namely on-field (e.g., the freedom to take risks) and off-field (e.g., the freedom to speak freely and raise issues).

Does He Make a Difference? Analyzing the Role of Men Athletes in the Framing of Elite Women CrossFit Athletes in Sportswear Retailers’ Marketing Materials

This study examined the role of men athletes in framing women athletes in marketing images, and CrossFit was used as the sport-specific context. The purpose was to understand how consumers perceive women athletes, whether the presence of men athletes influences these perceptions, and if consumers perceive women athletes to be represented more accurately when pictured alone or with male counterparts. Using a mixed-methods approach involving both quantitative and qualitative analysis, questionnaires (n = 389) and interviews (n = 19) were utilized to gather participants’ perceptions on videos featuring all women CrossFit athletes and/or those with men and women CrossFit athletes. Results showed that consumers’ perceptions began to shift when looking at their athletic competence, although a focus on appearance remained. While the results of the questionnaires revealed no clear correlation between the presence of men athletes and the perception of women athletes, the interviews suggested a relationship, highlighting the complex role that male athletes play. Overall, the study indicates that consumers perceive women athletes to be framed more accurately when pictured alone and offers valuable insights into how men athletes affect consumers’ perceptions of women athletes.

Athlete Portraits in News: Influence of Media Representation and Gender on Social Perception.

Previous literature suggests that in masculinized domains, a stereotypical portrayal of women has a negative impact on society's perception of them. However, the influence of media representation on people's perceptions of athletes depending on their gender, as well as its possible consequences for both men and women, remains unexplored in the sports sphere. Through two experimental studies employing a scenario methodology, we aimed to address this gap in the literature: In Study 1 (N = 190), we tested the influence of the media's representation (focused on the professional field vs. extraprofessional field) and the athlete's gender (man vs. woman) on perceptions, and in Study 2 (N = 625), we examined the effect of gender for an athlete receiving media coverage focused on the extraprofessional field. Study 1's results showed that when media representation was based on the professional (vs. extraprofessional) field, participants perceived the news as more credible, believed that the media valued the athlete's capacity to a greater extent, and attributed more merit to the athlete. Moreover, Study 2, focused on an extraprofessional field, indicated that when a man athlete (vs. woman athlete) was portrayed, participants were more likely to consider the news content accurate, which, in turn, was associated with a higher attribution of competence to the athlete and a higher intention to consume sports media in the future. The study will hopefully help reduce beliefs about existing stereotypes as well as discrimination against women, whether in sports or in any other field (e.g., professionally or in education).

The Relationship Between Athlete Perceptions of Coaching Leadership Behaviors and Athlete Grit

The Relationship Between Athlete Perceptions of Coaching Leadership Behaviors and Athlete Grit

Perception of fatigue in elite athlete in West Java.

An elite athlete is someone who trains and competes in a high-level sport and has greater physical performance and physical endurance. In the training process, elite athletes use high resistance strength training strategies causing fatigue in athletes. On the positive side, fatigue is considered as a stimulus for muscle adaptation and increased muscle performance; on the negative side, it can lead to overreaching to overtraining. Monitoring and training time of athletes is needed to ensure athletes are consistent with training and minimize the risk of maladaptation of training to injury. Monitoring with the self-report method can be done as a marker of the athlete’s fatigue symptoms. This study aims to describe the perceptions of elite athletes towards fatigue. This research design uses descriptive method with cross-sectional design. The subjects involved in this study were the elite athletes of West Java KONI who did the training for PON XX 2021. In this case, the subjects were 215 elite athletes with 36 martial arts, 51 teams, 9 ratings, 34 games, 85 measured. Three RPE Scale with the highest frequency, namely the 13 scale “somewhat hard” (n = 64 29.8%), the 17 “very hard” (n = 47 21.9%), followed by a 12 “between light and somewhat hard” (n = 24 11.2%). There are athletes who choose scale of 6 “no exertion at all” (n = 6 2.8%) and for scale of 20 “maximum exertion” (n = 2 0.9%). Also, there are three RPE Scale with the lowest frequency, namely the 20 “maximum exertion” scale (n = 2 0.9%), followed by scale 19 “extremely hard” (n = 2 0.9%) with the same score and scale 18 (n = 3 1.4%). In this study, the perception of fatigue of elite athletes in West Java using the RPE scale of 20 scales is 13 “somewhat hard” and 17 “very hard”. There is no significant difference between gender, sport, duration, and age in selecting this scale.

Assessing the Need for Anti-Doping Education: A Study among Athletes

The present study aims to assess the level of awareness and knowledge among athletes regarding anti-doping education. Population of the study was 102 Nepalese athletes who participated in different South Asian Games held until 2019. The participants of this study were the athletes selected from sports disciplines that were entertained in the 13th South Asian Federation Games held in Kathmandu/Pokhara/ Janakpur and earlier. This study employed non-probability sampling method to select the athletes who were interviewed on their knowledge and education on doping. This study used a mixed-methods research design which employed quantitative data analysis techniques to identify patterns and trends in athletes' responses and qualitative to explore athletes' experiences, attitudes, and perceptions to gain qualitative insights into the need for anti-doping education. Moreover, this study employed interview as a tool of data collection and descriptive method used to analyse data. It used statistical graphic techniques to present information about data such as pie charts, bar-diagrams and simple percentage to analyze the data. It is revealed that one third of the athletes are found to ignore the effect of coffee and taking drug and the cough syrup could cause them into trouble of doping. Also, higher number of athletes did have not knowledge on side effects of anabolic androgenic steroids. Surprisingly, one fourth of athletes used to take diuretics for the reduction of the body weight before competition. The findings suggest that the level of awareness and knowledge regarding anti-doping is limited in Nepalese athletes. Based on the results of the study, the athletes should be provided anti-doping education properly in order to prevent trouble of doping in the athletes.

Kilis ve Gaziantep İllerinde Bocce ve Dart Sporu ile Uğraşan Sporcuların Katılım Güdüsü ve Başarı Algılarının İncelenmesi

Bu araştırma, Türkiye'nin Kilis ve Gaziantep illerinde yaşayan, 10-15 yaş aralığındaki Bocce ve Dart sporcularının katılım güdüsü ve başarı algılarını incelemek amacıyla yapılmıştır. Araştırmanın kapsamında, 2021-2022 eğitim-öğretim yılında eğitim alan ve müsabakalara katılan 201 erkek ve bayan sporcu bulunmaktadır. Araştırma, sporcuların katılım güdüleri ve başarı algılarını etkileyen faktörleri çeşitli değişkenler ışığında SPSS 22 programı kullanarak analiz etmiştir. Veri toplama yöntemleri olarak Spora Katılım Güdüsü Ölçeği, Başarı Algısı Envanteri (Çocuk Versiyonu) ve demografik bilgi formu kullanılmıştır. Araştırmanın sonuçlarına göre, sporcuların katılım güdüsü ve başarı algıları cinsiyet, müsabaka türü ve müsabakalarda derece alma durumuna göre anlamlı bir farklılık göstermemiştir (p&gt;0,05). Bununla birlikte, katılım güdüsü, seçilen spor branşına, ikamet yerine, sporla uğraşma süresine ve yaş gruplarına göre anlamlı farklılıklar göstermiştir (p

Revisiting the Relationship Between Sports Fandom and the Black Criminal Stereotype: A Replication and Extension Study

In news media, one stereotype that is continually over-represented is Black men as criminals, leading to what many refer to as “the Black criminal stereotype.” Although research demonstrates that distorted news portrayals of criminals can provoke stereotypical responses in viewers, limited evidence connects these effects to sport media. Anderson and Raney (2018) explored this in an experimental study ( n = 234) and found evidence of the Black criminal stereotype among sports fans. However, more research was needed to further explore this phenomenon. The current study employed a similar experimental design ( n = 603) in an attempt to (1) replicate their 2018 study to examine whether sports fans’ perceptions of criminal athletes have changed over the past several years, especially in light of the Black Lives Matter movement, and (2) determine whether the sport played by an alleged criminal athlete might be linked to judgments regarding race and crime in sports. Our findings indicate that sports fandom still predicts stereotypical judgments. However, individual difference variables—particularly social conservatism, African American stereotype endorsement, and gender—were more strongly related. Our findings point toward the potential power of social movements in influencing attitudes and beliefs regarding race and crime.

Athletic Trainers' Perceptions of and Experiences With Professional Development Approaches for Enhancing Clinical Documentation.

Little is known about how athletic trainers (ATs) learn clinical documentation, but previous studies have identified that ATs have a need for more educational resources specific to documentation. To obtain ATs' perspectives on learning clinical documentation. Qualitative study. Web-based audio interviews. Twenty-nine ATs who completed 2 different continuing education (CE) clinical documentation modules. Participants averaged 36.2 ± 9.0 years of age and included 16 women and 13 men representing 21 US states and 8 clinical practice settings. Participants were recruited from a group of ATs who completed 1 of 2 web-based CE clinical documentation modules. Within 3 weeks of completing the educational modules, participants were interviewed regarding their perceptions of how they learn clinical documentation, including their experiences completing the modules. Using the Consensual Qualitative Research approach, 3 researchers and 1 internal auditor inductively analyzed the data during 5 rounds of consensus coding. Trustworthiness measures included multianalyst triangulation, data source triangulation, and peer review. Two themes emerged from the data, including (1) mechanisms of learning documentation and (2) benefits of the educational modules. Athletic trainers primarily learn documentation through professional education and workforce training, but training appears to be inconsistent. Participants perceived that both educational modules were effective at increasing their knowledge and confidence related to learning documentation. The CE modules incited a growth mindset and intention to change behavior. Athletic trainers are satisfied with web-based CE learning experiences specific to clinical documentation and may benefit from more CE offered in these formats. Educators are encouraged to integrate clinical documentation principles throughout the curriculum during both didactic and clinical education. Workforce training is also valuable for improving knowledge and skills related to clinical documentation, and employers should onboard and support ATs as they start new positions.

Role Models and Athlete Expression at the Youth Olympic Games as Impactful Sport Communication Practices

This study investigated athlete expressions and the impact that Olympian (OLY) role models have on athletes participating at the Youth Olympic Games (YOG), with a focus on the YOG educational program. The YOG educational program was created in 2010 and has not yet garnered extensive scholarly examination. Therefore, the aim of the current investigation was to develop an understanding of the impact that OLY role models have on YOG athletes and the communicative practices young athletes use to express themselves. This study used a mixed methodology (i.e., survey and interviews) and drew on three theories (i.e., social learning theory, role model theory, and communicative theory of expression) to better understand the aforementioned impact of OLY role models on YOG athletes. An examination of the communicative expression practices of OLY role models, through the mixed methodological approach, produced novel findings pertaining to YOG athlete perceptions of the structure and benefit of the educational program.

Metaphorical Perceptions of Rugby Athletes towards the Concept of Rugby

Ragbi, oyunculara sosyal ve sağlıklı yaşam kazandıran, yüksek düzeyde fiziksel uygun-luk gerektiren ve alan kazanmaya dayalı ve üniversite öğrencileri arasında da popü-lerliği her geçen gün artmakta olan bir takım sporudur. Dolayısıyla bu araştırma-nın amacı, ragbi oynayan sporcuların ragbi kavramına yönelik algılarını metaforlar aracılığıyla ortaya çıkarmaktır. Araştırma-ya 2020-2021 sezonunda Türkiye Ragbi Ligi ve üniversiteler arası müsabakalara katılmış toplam 50 sporcu katılmıştır. Araştırmada nitel araştırma yöntemlerin-den biri olan fenomenoloji (olgu bilim) deseni kullanılmıştır. Verilerin elde edil-mesinde, her bir sporcuya kişisel bilgi formu uygulanmış ve sporculardan “Ragbi …… gibidir/benzer; çünkü ...…” cümlesini tamamlamaları ve oluşturdukları metafor-ları açıklamaları istenmiştir. Veri toplama aracı elektronik formlar vasıtasıyla uygu-lanmıştır. Ayrıca tüm katılımcılar gönüllü-lük esasına dayanarak çalışmada yer almıştır. Veriler içerik analizi tekniğiyle çözümlenmiştir. Verilerin analizinde sırasıyla adlandırma, eleme, kategori geliştirme, geçerlik ve güvenirliğin sağlanması, elde edilen metaforların frekanslarının hesaplanması, yorumlanması aşamaları takip edilmiştir. Sporcuların bakış açıları incelendiğinde, büyük bir çoğunluğunun yapmış oldukları spor branşını günlük yaşamın getirdiği mental yorgunluktan kurtulma ve sosyalleşme alanı olarak benimsemiş oldukları sonucuna ulaşılmış-tır.

Team Identification and Perceptions of College Athletes

College campuses are unique spaces, with college towns having their own distinctive culture. However, attendance at intercollegiate athletic events has declined in recent years. Long-term strategies for building faculty fanbases are uncommon, yet, faculty maintain high organizational identification, positively impacting brand loyalty and purchase intentions. As such, university faculty may be an ideal target market for athletic departments through relationship marketing. Utilizing Allport’s (1954) Intergroup Contact Theory, this study examined faculty motivation to attend university athletic events regarding their university identification, perception of college athletes, and motivation for sport consumption. Two hundred and thirty-eight faculty members at Power Five institutions completed the Motivation Scale for Sport Consumption, the Points of Attachment Index, and the Perceptions of Athletic Departments Questionnaire. Descriptive statistics suggested that faculty are motivated differently than other fans, as the physical skills of athletes served as the strongest motivator for faculty. The multiple regression analysis provided evidence to conclude higher levels of both faculty university athletic team identification and their perceptions of student-athletes contributed to increased athletic event motivation scores. Based on the results, in order to increase faculty motivation to attend athletic events, marketers should consider designing innovative marketing efforts specifically for faculty members and utilizing marketing techniques to increase faculty’s perceptions of college athletes.

Mental health correlates of athletic shame and guilt among elite-level youth athletes in Turkey

ObjectivesThis study evaluated the mental health correlates of athletic shame and guilt among elite-level youth athletes and provided psychometric data on the Turkish version of the Athletic Perceptions of Performance Scale. DesignCross-sectional. MethodsAn online survey was sent to 645 Turkish elite-level youth athletes incorporating standardized scales assessing athletic shame, guilt, and symptoms of high prevalence mental disorders. A subset of participants (n = 45) provided test–retest data at 30 days. ResultsA total of 301 elite youth athletes participated (M = 16.42 ± 0.49 years; 48.7 % response rate) equally representing team and individual sports. Confirmatory factor analysis validated the Turkish version of the Athletic Perceptions of Performance Scale and test–retest data supported temporal stability. Female athletes (compared to male athletes) and athletes participating in an individual sport (compared to participating in a team sport) reported higher athletic shame-proneness scores (p < 0.01 and p = 0.04; respectively). The Turkish version of the Athletic Perceptions of Performance Scale shame-proneness and no-concern scores were associated with athlete-specific stress, anxiety, and depression scores. The Turkish version of the Athletic Perceptions of Performance Scale guilt-proneness was associated with athlete-specific stress and anxiety scores. ConclusionsFindings provide cross-cultural validation of the Athletic Perceptions of Performance Scale assessing athletic shame and guilt, demonstrating that female athletes and athletes participating in an individual sport were more likely to experience athletic shame-proneness. Results suggest that athletes experiencing shame-proneness and performance concerns may benefit from supportive coaching and/or mental health supports.

ACCORDING TO THE PERCEPTIONS OF WRESTLING ATHLETES, THE RELATIONSHIP OF THE UNETHICAL BEHAVIOR OF THE COACH WITH THE MENTAL TOUGHNESS OF THE ATHLETE

The aim of this research is to determine the relationship of the unethical behavior of the trainer with the mental endurance of the athlete according to the perceptions of wrestling athletes. In the study, the Personal Information Form created by the researchers, the Athlete Perception Scale Related to Unethical Behavior of the Coach developed by Güven ve Öncü (2012) and the Mental Endurance Inventory developed by Sheard, Golby and Van Wersch (2009) and adapted to Turkish by Altıntaş (2015) were used as data collection tools to learn some demographic information of the participants. Descriptive statistics, t-test, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), tukey multiple comparison, Pearson correlation tests were used in the analysis of the data. As a result of the findings obtained, while there was no significant difference in terms of gender variable of unethical behavior of coaches and mental toughness of athletes according to the perceptions of athletes, there was a meaningful difference in terms of marital status variable of athletes. According to the perceptions of athletes, unethical behavior of coaches; while notable differences were observed when the athlete's age, education level, parents' education level were evaluated in terms of sports year variables, mental toughness of athletes was not remarkably dissimlar when the athlete's age, education level, parents' education level were evaluated in terms of sports year variables. According to the result of the correlation analysis between the Athlete Perception Scale Related to the Unethical Behavior of the Coach and the Mental Toughness Inventory in Sports, it can be explained that there is a midlevel relationship negatively. As a result, it can be stated that the mental toughness of the athlete increases as the unethical behavior of the coaches decreases.

‘Male, violent and dangerous’: The gender prejudices in rugby from the perception of current and former athletes of the Brazil women's rugby 7's national team

Rugby is considered by many to be the antithesis of femininity because, since its creation, it has been a way for men to prove their masculinity. For this reason, the trajectory of women who practice it can be permeated with prejudices. The aim of this article is to advance the conceptual understanding of gender prejudice, stereotypes and discrimination, through an evaluation of the sports trajectory of cis women rugby players in Brazil. Ten female athletes, who are current or former athletes of the Brazil women's rugby 7's national team, were interviewed. They identified gender prejudice in relation to: (1) playing a sport considered masculine in which women should not take part; (2) being considered not to be able to practice it; (3) having bodies which do not fit the requirements of the ideal female body; (4) playing a violent sport; (5) trying to highlight attributes of femininity in publicity and press coverage. We conclude that, in the sport of rugby in Brazil, women are treated unfairly, with unequal salaries and limited opportunities. Moreover, they suffer prejudice and social pressure where they need to constantly reaffirm their sexuality, their femininity and their technical competence to play rugby.

Psychological resilience in athletes during the COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative insight

This study employs a qualitative research methodology to comprehensively investigate the psychological resilience of athletes impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Through purposeful sampling, a diverse group of athletes representing various sports, competitive levels, and geographic locations was selected, ensuring a holistic exploration of their experiences. Data collection centered on in-depth interviews, utilizing a semi-structured approach guided by predetermined open-ended questions. Ethical standards were meticulously upheld, with informed consent obtained from all participants, and strict measures in place to safeguard their confidentiality and anonymity. Prior to data collection, pilot testing of interview questions was conducted to enhance their clarity and appropriateness. Subsequently, data analysis involved the meticulous transcription of field-notes and audio-recordings into protocols and transcripts, followed by systematic coding facilitated by qualitative data management software. To enhance research rigor, strategies including reflexivity, member-checking, and collaborative coding were embraced. This comprehensive methodology facilitated a deep and nuanced exploration of athletes' experiences, perceptions, and coping strategies during the pandemic, ultimately contributing valuable insights to the study of psychological resilience in sports. The findings shed light on the challenges athletes faced, the support systems and personal attributes that fostered resilience, and the role of well-being practices like mindfulness and self-care in enhancing psychological resilience. The implications of this research extend to proactive strategies for sports organizations and stakeholders, fostering a culture of resilience, and empowering athletes to thrive in the face of adversity, ultimately promoting their long-term psychological well-being.

Athlete and coach’s perspectives on sports nutritionists’ role in enhancing sports performance in Indonesia Sports Training Centers

The role of a nutritionist as a sportsman was a legal mandate listed on Law No. 3 of 2005 in Article 63 concerning the National Sports System, stated that nutritionists are one of the sports personnel. However, the implementation of the nutritionist's role in the athlete training center was still lacking. The importance of nutritionist existence ought to be assessed to explore the perception of athletes and coaches. Qualitative approach was used to analyze focus group discussions on 15 athletes and 10 coaches located in 3 cities in Indonesia (Jakarta, Yogyakarta, Malang). Results, the acceptance of the food in the training center are satisfactory even though some still eat out. More knowledge concerning nutrition, performance, and posture are obtained from in-class education, brochure, personal counselling, and small talk by the presence of nutritionists. Conclusion, athletes and coaches perceive that nutritionists are urgently necessary for optimum nutrition support to enhance sports performance.