Performance Factors and Strategies Favored by French Olympic Athletes

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Helene Joncheray ◽  
Fabrice Burlot ◽  
Nicolas Besombes ◽  
Sébastien Dalgalarrondo ◽  
Mathilde Desenfant
Keyword(s):  
Olympic Games ◽  
The Other ◽  
Mental Preparation ◽  
Performance Factors ◽  
Olympic Athletes ◽  
Semistructured Interviews ◽  
Two Factors ◽  
Parallel Network ◽  
Physical Preparation ◽  
The Olympic Games

This article presents the performance factors identified by Olympic athletes and analyzes how they were prioritized and implemented during the 2012–2016 Olympiad. To address this issue, 28 semistructured interviews were conducted with French athletes who participated in the Olympic Games in 2016. The analysis shows that to achieve performance, only two factors were implemented by all the athletes: training and physical preparation. The other factors, namely, mental preparation, nutrition, and recovery care, were not implemented by all athletes. In addition, two main types of configurations have been identified: a minority of athletes (n = 4) for whom the choice of performance factors and their implementation are controlled by the coach and a majority (n = 24) who adopts secondary adjustments by relying on a parallel network.

scholarly journals “Time for Recovery” or “Utter Uncertainty”? The Postponement of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games Through the Eyes of Olympic Athletes and Coaches. A Qualitative Study

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Violetta Oblinger-Peters ◽  
Björn Krenn
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Olympic Games ◽  
Qualitative Content Analysis ◽  
Emotional Reaction ◽  
Process Data ◽  
Levels Of Abstraction ◽  
Olympic Athletes ◽  
The Postponement ◽  
The Olympic Games

The current COVID-19 pandemic has affected the entire globe, including the world of high-performance sports. Accordingly, it has been widely assumed that the thereby caused postponement of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games could have negative psychological impacts for aspirants, since they were halted abruptly in the pursuit of their Olympic endeavors and their daily lives drastically altered. Considering the sudden nature of the pandemic, few researchers, if any, have yet scrutinized the individual experience of Olympic aspirants. This qualitative study examines the subjective perceptions of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games postponement among Austrian Olympic athletes and coaches. To this end, 21 Austrian athletes (13 male, 8 female; mean age = 26.67 ± 4.93 years) and six male coaches were recruited through a criterion-based purposive sampling strategy. Five athletes had already qualified for the Olympic Games in Tokyo 2020 and 15 athletes were still in an ongoing qualification process. Data was collected by means of short written statements, elicited via open-format questions on an anonymous online survey platform. In order to infer meaning from the text, a qualitative content analysis with an interpretative focus was conducted inductively, which allowed for deriving alternative explanations of findings. The results support the notion that the Olympic postponement was experienced in myriad ways by affected participants. Three general themes comprised of several meaning units of different levels of abstraction were created from the text data. Many respondents experienced an immediate emotional reaction to the postponement characterized by confusion, disappointment and/or relief. Participants associated multiple consequences with the postponement, such as the prolongation of physical and psychological pressure, a lack of motivation, concerns about future performance, living and their occupational career, but also the opportunity for performance improvement and recovery. Respondents displayed various coping strategies, such as distancing themselves from sports, cognitive reframing, appealing for acceptance, and planning behavior. This study gleans first insights into the idiosyncratic experience of the Olympic Games 2020 postponement among Austrian aspirants. The findings could serve to assist sport psychologists in their applied practice by informing them about athletes’ and coaches’ needs in their Olympic preparation during the ongoing pandemic.

Sport Psychology Consultants’ Perceptions of Their Challenges at the London 2012 Olympic Games

2015 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 183-195 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Elsborg ◽  
Gregory M. Diment ◽  
Anne-Marie Elbe
Keyword(s):  
Sport Psychology ◽  
Olympic Games ◽  
London 2012 ◽  
Semistructured Interviews ◽  
The Media ◽  
Contextual Differences ◽  
The Olympic Games

The objective of this study was to explore how sport psychology consultants perceive the challenges they face at the Olympic Games. Post-Olympics semistructured interviews with 11 experienced sport psychology consultants who worked at the London Games were conducted. The interviews were transcribed and inductively content analyzed. Trustworthiness was reached through credibility activities (i.e., member checking and peer debriefing). The participants perceived a number of challenges important to being successful at the Olympic Games. These challenges were divided into two general themes: Challenges Before the Olympics (e.g., negotiating one’s role) and Challenges During the Olympics (e.g., dealing with the media). The challenges the sport psychology consultants perceived as important validate and cohere with the challenge descriptions that exist in the literature. The findings extend the knowledge on sport psychology consultancy at the Olympic Games by showing individual contextual differences between the consultants’ perceptions and by identifying four SPC roles at the Olympic Games.

The Olympic Games in antiquity

2004 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 401-413 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. W. PLEKET
Keyword(s):  
Olympic Games ◽  
Social Background ◽  
Gold Medal ◽  
Olive Leaves ◽  
Olympic Athletes ◽  
Before And After ◽  
The Olympic Games

The Olympic Games are an invention of the ancient Greeks. They were held in Olympia in a quadrennial rhythm, without interruption for ca. 1200 years. Compared with the modern Olympics, the ancient programme was small: running events (over several distances), the pentathlon, and the so-called ‘heavy’ events: wrestling, boxing and pankration. Various equestrian events (with and without chariots) completed the programme. This programme is discussed with the athletes, their social background and ideology. Although in ancient Olympia a wreath of olive-leaves – a forerunner of our modern gold medal – was the first and only prize, there was no amateurism in Greek athletics. Olympic athletes happily participated in highly rewarding money games both before and after the Olympics. Money was not despised; abuse of money, in the form of Wine, Women and Song was criticized, but some athletes, then as now, were unable to resist the temptations of life.

scholarly journals Exploring the Experiences and Well-Being of Australian Rio Olympians During the Post-Olympic Phase: A Qualitative Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Bennie ◽  
Courtney C. Walton ◽  
Donna O’Connor ◽  
Lauren Fitzsimons ◽  
Thomas Hammond
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Return To Work ◽  
Performance Appraisal ◽  
Thematic Analysis ◽  
Elite Athlete ◽  
Olympic Games ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Olympic Athletes ◽  
The Olympic Games

Research about the Olympic Games has primarily focused on preparing athletes for competition. Less attention has been paid to the post-Olympic-phase (POP) and athlete well-being during this time. This study explored Australian Olympic athletes’ experiences following the conclusion of the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, including the factors that may have contributed to or challenged their well-being during this time. Eighteen athletes participated in semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis revealed that when Olympic performance appraisal met prior expectations, when athletes planned for a return to work or study, and when support from a variety of sources was readily available, this positively influenced athletes’ well-being during the POP. When these factors were not in place, more challenging post-Games experiences were present, and well-being was compromised. The findings contribute to the broader literature on elite athlete well-being and at an applied level, may be used to inform targeted programs that focus on supporting athletes after an Olympic campaign.

scholarly journals The ethos of emigrant and Ferenc Puskás compared to other participants in the Olympic Games

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 41-54
Author(s):  
Mateusz Rozmiarek ◽  
Adam Szabelski
Keyword(s):  
Olympic Games ◽  
The Other ◽  
Physical Culture ◽  
Decision To Leave ◽  
The Past ◽  
History Of ◽  
The One ◽  
The Olympic Games

The emigrants ethos may be related to physical culture. On the pages of the history of sport or Olympism we can find examples of many athletes who, motivated by different goals, chose their native countries. One of them was the desire to succeed and win the sports championship. It turns out that during the first Olympic Games such a trend was noticeable, although the subsequent games also confirm it. The topic, which has caused many problems in the past, should be considered from the perspective of two levels, emigration before gaining the planned achievement, as well as the decision to leave after achieving major victories. Examples confirming both variants in this article might be on the one hand the numerous cases of participants of the first Olympic Games (what was shown on the example of athletes participating in the I, the II and the III Olympics), and on the other the biography of the outstandingHungarian footballer Ferenc Puskás, who decided to emigrate for many years because of the internal situation in his country, and not the desire to profit or gain greater fame.

Mental Links to Excellence

1988 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 105-130 ◽  
Author(s):  
Terry Orlick ◽  
John Partington
Keyword(s):  
Los Angeles ◽  
Olympic Games ◽  
Optimal Performance ◽  
Mental Skills ◽  
Common Elements ◽  
Performance Outcome ◽  
Individual Interviews ◽  
Olympic Athletes ◽  
The Olympic Games

This study included 235 Canadian Olympic athletes who participated in the 1984 Olympic Games in Sarajevo and Los Angeles. Individual interviews were carried out with 75 athletes and a questionnaire was completed by another 160 to assess their mental readiness for the Olympic Games and factors related to mental readiness. Common elements of success were identified, as well as factors that interfered with optimal performance at the Olympic Games. Statistically significant links were found between Olympic performance outcome and certain mental skills.

Der Hochleistungssport – Ein Phänomen des Showbusiness / The Top-Athletism: A Phenomenon of Showbusiness

1973 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Heinz Meyer
Keyword(s):  
Physical Training ◽  
Olympic Games ◽  
The Other ◽  
Long Period ◽  
Other Hand ◽  
The One ◽  
Intellectual Activities ◽  
And Training ◽  
The Olympic Games

AbstractRegarding to several aspects of the Olympic Games in Munich the discussion at first points to the image of sports as actions, which exist on the one hand exterritorially and which work on the other hand for peace in groups of like-minded persons. This image is contrasted to the character of top-athletism determined by the only view to performance. This character can be proofed by facts belonging to athletes, spectators or athletic events, which are organized by high investments. The top-athletism can be interpreted not only as a way of exceptional selffulfilling but also as a phenomenon of alienation, which regards psychic facts not as undiscussed values, but only in their function to vary achievement.It seems to be exact to differentiate physical training for everybody on the one side and top-athletism on the other side and to interprete top-athletism as a phenomenon of showbusiness. There are facts which proof the similarity of top-athletism and other kinds of showbusiness: the relation of few athletes and numerous spectators, high material and immaterial gratifications, the existence of prominent persons and stars, the uncertainty of the careers after a long period of learning and training and the undifferentiated intellectual activities of the athletes as well as of the spectators.

Evaluation and emotional consequences of the decision to postpone the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Polish Elite Athletes

2021 ◽  
Vol 29 ◽  
pp. 7-17
Author(s):  
Martyna Nowak ◽  
Iwona Pilchowska ◽  
Justyna Domienik-Karłowicz ◽  
Hubert Krysztofi ak
Keyword(s):  
Factor Analysis ◽  
Olympic Games ◽  
Elite Athletes ◽  
Negative Emotions ◽  
International Olympic Committee ◽  
Athletic Competition ◽  
Two Factors ◽  
Good Attitude ◽  
The Olympic Games

In March 2020, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the International Olympic Committee decided to cancel the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and postpone it to 2021. This decision caused a lot of emotions among elite athletes and disrupted their preparation cycle for the most important quadrennial athletic competition. The aim of the study was to investigate how Polish elite athletes regard this decision and what emotions they feel about it. The current training situation of athletes was also monitored during the study. 478 Polish elite athletes took part in the survey. The results showed that the athletes feel stronger sadness and uncertainty compared to the beginning of the year. Athletes with Olympic qualifi cation consider the decision to cancel the Olympic Games to be much more negative, but – what is interesting – is that they rate the current training options higher and declare feeling less concern about their sports form next year. Two independent clusters show that some athletes experience an increase in negative emotions, while others do not experience major changes (compared to the beginning of the year). Using factor analysis, two factors were also distinguished – emotional and sports. Both exhibited statistically signifi cantly correlations with opinions about the current training situation. The results obtained allow for the development of valuable recommendations regarding support for athletes. Strengthening the ability to regulate emotions, working with the structure of properly formulated goals and building awareness of maintaining a good attitude and approach will be particularly important.

scholarly journals The Relation between Olympians and Employees of the Media in Hungary: Motivations, Attitudes, Rejection

2018 ◽  
Vol 78 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Agnes Kovacs ◽  
Tamas Doczi
Keyword(s):  
Empirical Research ◽  
Total Population ◽  
Olympic Games ◽  
Elite Athletes ◽  
The Other ◽  
The Public ◽  
Olympic Athletes ◽  
General Terms ◽  
The Media ◽  
Research Questions

Abstract In the present study, we examine the relation between Olympians and employees of the media in Hungary through the following terms: motivations, attitudes, and rejection. The empirical research presented in this paper focused on the following research questions: 1.What motivates Olympians and employees of the media in their cooperation? 2. What kind of attitudes characterise them in their relation? 3. Why and how often do employees of the media get rejected by elite athletes? In the framework of the research, a survey was carried out among the Hungarian Olympic athletes participating at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games (N=104) and on the total population of media workers accredited to the Olympics (N=28). The data were collected by two questionnaires. The first one contained 31 questions for the Olympians, and the second one had 26 questions for the media workers. The two versions included overlapping sections as well, which made it possible to explore the respondents’ views on the same topic and get comparable outcomes in some cases. The analysis aims to present and contrast the viewpoints of Olympians and employees of the media with each other. The results show that over half of elite athletes do not like to participate in the media, but they are aware that it is necessary; that is the reason why many of them mostly accept sport related interview requests. Parallel with this, media workers assume that the majority of elite athletes like to appear in front of the public. In general terms, the main goals for elite athletes are to train well, to qualify for major international meets, and to achieve outstanding results. On the other side, the intentions of the media workers is to publish stories to the audience, which could be positive, negative, informative, provocative, or sensational. Elite athletes and employees of the media need to be more aware of each other’s motivations, attitudes and aims for better understanding each other.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document