The present article outlines the development and implementation of a multifaceted psychological skills training program for the Canadian National Short Track Speedskating team over a 3-year period leading up to the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games. A program approach was used emphasizing a seven-phase model in an effort to enhance sport performance (Thomas, 1990) in which psychological skills training was integrated with biofeedback training to optimize self-regulation for performance on demand and under pressure. The biofeedback training protocols were adapted from general guidelines described by Wilson, Peper, and Moss (2006) who built on the work of DeMichelis (2007) and the “Mind Room” program approach for enhancing athletic performance. The goal of the program was to prepare the athletes for their best performance under the pressure of the Olympic Games. While causation cannot be implied due to the lack of a control group, the team demonstrated success on both team and individual levels.
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An Integrated Biofeedback and Psychological Skills Training Program for Canada’s Olympic Short-Track Speedskating Team
Marla K. Beauchamp, Richard H. Harvey, and Pierre H. Beauchamp
Ending an Elite Sports Career: Case Report of Behavioral Activation Applied as an Evidence-Based Intervention With a Former Olympic Athlete Developing Depression
Carolina Lundqvist
psychological treatment delivered to a retiring Olympic athlete who developed depression after career termination. The Heterogeneous Nature of Depression The label depression is commonly adopted in literature to describe conditions representing a mixture of individual experiences varying in severity and
Quality of Participation Experiences in Special Olympics Sports Programs
Kelly P. Arbour-Nicitopoulos, Natasha Bruno, Krystn Orr, Roxy O’Rourke, Virginia Wright, Rebecca Renwick, Kirsten Bobbie, and James Noronha
programs should be equipped to support the participation of youth, especially those with IDD who experience greater obstacles and exhibit lower levels of sport participation compared to youth without IDD ( Shields & Synnot, 2016 ). Special Olympics offers community-based health and wellness opportunities
Can Genetic Testing Predict Talent? A Case Study of 5 Elite Athletes
Craig Pickering and John Kiely
former 400-m runner. He competed at 1 Olympic Game, winning a medal in the 4 × 400-m relay. His personal best time is 44.94 seconds, and he was a high-level athlete for approximately 11 years. Participant B (Greg Rutherford) is a former long jumper. He has competed at 3 Olympic Games, winning a gold and
Food Provision at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games: Expert Review and Future Recommendations
Fiona Pelly and Susie Parker Simmons
environment and policy that determine food availability ( Symmank et al., 2017 ). We previously reported on an expert review of the food provision for the London 2012 Olympic Games and found that there was limited choice of lower energy, low fat, and gluten-free items to meet the needs of athletes, as well as
International Olympic Committee Expert Group Statement on Dietary Supplements in Athletes
International Olympic Committee Expert Group on Dietary Supplements in Athletes
with Olympic and highly competitive athletes know that the pressures of elite sport and the substantial rewards that follow success provide a high level of motivation to adopt any safe and legal strategy that might promise even the smallest performance gain. Dietary supplements operate in this space
The On-Site Provision of Sport Psychology Services at the 1987 U.S. Olympic Festival
Shane M. Murphy
The U.S. Olympic Committee’s Sports Medicine Council decided in 1987, for the first time, to assign a sport psychologist to the medical team of the 1987 U.S. Olympic Festival. This article describes the outcome of providing sport psychology services at the Festival. A brief history is given of the relationship between sport psychology and the U.S. Olympic movement, and the current status of sport psychologists within the Olympic movement is described. An analysis is provided of the types of services requested at the Festival, the referral sources, the major sports served, and several illustrative case examples describing athletes. Two models influenced the delivery of sport psychology services at the Olympic Festival, the medical model and the consultation model, and the advantages and disadvantages of each are discussed. Based upon the Olympic Festival experience, a consultation model may be appropriate for sport psychologists working in such a setting. The paper concludes with some suggestions regarding the training of students in the theory of effective consultation, drawing upon the knowledge base of industrial-organizational and medical psychology.
A Kinematic Analysis of Men's Olympic Long Horse Vaulting
Charles J. Dillman, Phillip J. Cheetham, and Sarah L. Smith
The purpose of this project is to describe the procedures used in acquiring data on the Men's Olympic Long Horse Vaulting Competition. A descriptive biomechanical analysis is provided of the filmed performances of the eight male finalists in this event. All of the performed vaults are grouped into the following two vault families: Handspring Front Somersault and Tsukahara. Comprehensive kinematic descriptions are presented for these two vault families.
Provision of Sport Psychology Services at Olympic Events: The 1991 U.S. Olympic Festival and Beyond
Daniel S. Kirschenbaum, William D. Parham, and Shane M. Murphy
Sport psychology services were provided at the 1991 U.S. Olympic Festival. A consultation model was employed that included aspects of the traditional medical model and a more proactive preventive approach. Consultations were delivered using a “professional/clinical” style (i.e., emphasis on expertness, empathy, warmth, and congruence). Two sport psychologists provided 85 formal consultations to more than 300 athletes, coaches, staff members, and others from 16 different sports. Process and outcome evaluations suggested that these services were very well received. Eleven recommendations are provided for delivery of sport psychology services at future Olympic events.
Performance Leadership and Management in Elite Sport: A Black and White Issue or Different Shades of Grey?
Rachel Arnold, David Fletcher, and Jennifer A. Hobson
in determining NSO’s [national sporting organizations] success in Olympic competition” ( Fletcher & Wagstaff, 2009 , p. 433; see also Arnold, Fletcher, & Anderson, 2015 ; Arnold, Fletcher, & Molyneux, 2012 ; Fletcher & Arnold, 2011 , 2015 ). Leadership and Management Conceptualization A recurring
