Publication details
Leaving Competitive Sport in the Czech Republic
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2017 |
| Type | Article in Proceedings |
| Conference | Proceedings of the 11th International Conference on Kinanthropology |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Web | http://uloz.to/!AMFYppupPqZP/proceedings-11th-conf-on-kinanthropology-pdf |
| Keywords | athletic career; transition; socio-cultural context |
| Description | Purpose: What happens to athletes when they end their active participation in the top-level competition? This contribution focuses on career transition as a phase of a breakthrough in professional development. Successful handling of transitions, both within and outside the sport, allows a greater opportunity for athletes to live a long and successful life in sport as well as the ability to effectively adapt to post-career. An unmanaged or unmanageable involution brings about personal problems of a different character making up for the athlete’s loss of a social economic, psychosocial, and economic capital including loss of sport environment experience for the next generations. Methods: The group watched the top athletes from various sports (football, hockey, basketball, volleyball, athletics, swimming) and consists of 71 women and men. Reported athletes are former (already inactive) and active athletes from national top competitions in the Czech Republic. The means of collecting data was a semistructured interview in which we formulated thematic areas on the development and course of sports careers, family backgrounds, life or sports links, lifestyle, needs, goals and ability to solve problems related to sports career and involution. Data analysis was performed using categorical data sorting followed on by an observation of categorical clusters, and the development and trajectory of an individual athlete’s life story. Results: In the Czech Republic still lacks a systematic strategy at national, regional or local level in the field of dual careers. There is only the Dual Career Program of the Olympic Committee for Olympians, services for other athletes are still missing. Conclusion: The aim of research itself is to define psycho-social variables – categories in connection with managed or unmanaged involution in the stage of sports career termination and transfer to everyday life. On the base of processing the results of our research we created consequently an education programme for former and active athletes, trainers, sports assistants and managers, sports coaches. We will also offer this programme to clubs in different sports, to subjects giving coach licences and the results will be also included into FSS´s studies programme – sport coaching and management. |
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