Online Career Support Symposium | 1 December 2020

Eventually, every athlete is confronted with the transition out of sport. Additionally, the current challenging situation makes different athletes decide to end their sports career earlier then expected and to invest in a new, post-athletic career. During an IOC advanced research grant 1-year project (01/06/2019 - 01/06/2020), the SPMB research group performed a needs analysis with elite athletes through semi-structued interviews to gain insights in their psychological health/wellbeing, challenges, barriers, and required support in the context of their athletic retirement. Consequently, based on the needs assessment, practical guidelines for different career support providers were developed. This research project was coordinated by the Vrije Universiteit Brussel and funded by the IOC Olympic Studies Centre. 

In this context, the SPMB group was pleased to invite more than 400 elite sport stakeholders from over 50 different countries for our online career support symposium on how athletes should be supported before, during and after their athletic career. The plenary session included the presentation of the results of the project, international experts’ reflections and practices on the results of the project. Furthermore, the programme included parallel workshops where participants learned how specific tools and instruments are used in working with athletes in the context of the athletic retirement process.

All content of the plenary session can be found underneath. The slides of the workshops and the outcomes of the project can be found on your right. 

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us. Contact details can be found on your right.