It is an open question to which degree compassion-noticing, engaging with, and acting to alleviate suffering in self and others-is (considered) advantageous in elite sports. Addressing this question, we herein provide insights into high-performance coaches\' perceptions on the role of compassion in elite sports environments. Specifically, 12 coaches working at the highest level of their respective sport (in Denmark) partook in semi-structured interviews focusing on the utilization, implications, as well as barriers for implementing compassion in elite sports environments. Following a thematic analysis, three themes comprising various subthemes were identified and discussed. The first theme - Benefits of compassion - focuses on coaches\' perception of the use and implications of compassion and comprises four subthemes: Compassion is important when times are tough; Compassion stimulates human connection; Compassion fosters unity in competitive environments; and Compassion promotes performance. The second theme - Increasing compassionate competence - focuses on how a compassionate approach can flourish and comprises three subthemes: Reflection; Awareness and knowledge; and Keeping up with the times. The third theme - Barriers to compassion - focuses on barriers to implementing and enhancing compassion in elite sports environments and comprises four subthemes: Compassion is soft; Power dynamics can stand in the way; Requires prioritization; and Performance outcome orientation. We conclude that while compassion (beyond self-compassion) can be beneficial in elite sports, coaches still perceive barriers for successful implementation, and that research should further investigate the outcomes and consequences of compassion in the elite sport context.

UNASSIGNED: This study investigated the relationships between perceived autonomy support, coach-athlete relationship, team efficacy, aggressive behavior, and athlete burnout among team sports athletes. It verified the mediating effects of the coach-athlete relationship and team efficacy on the relationship between autonomy support and athlete burnout.
UNASSIGNED: A questionnaire survey on autonomy support, coach-athlete relationships, aggressive behavior, and athlete burnout was administered to 336 team sports athletes (292 male athletes and 44 female athletes). A cross-sectional research design was used to collect the data. To analyze the collected data, frequency, reliability, descriptive statistical, and correlation analyses were performed using SPSS version 26.0. In addition, confirmatory factor analysis, convergent validity tests, and structural model analysis were conducted using AMOS version 24.0. Bootstrapping was used to examine the mediating effects.
UNASSIGNED: The fit of the measurement model was assessed by calculating the fit indices as follows: x 2 = 329.689, df = 124, p < 0.001, TLI = 0.945, CFI = 0.956, RMSEA = 0.070 (90% CI = 0.061-0.080), and SRMR = 0.060. Autonomy support positively affected the coach-athlete relationship (β = 0.841) and team efficacy (β = 0.338). The coach-athlete relationship positively affected team efficacy (β = 0.479). Furthermore, autonomy support did not significantly influence aggressive behavior (β = -0.053), and negatively affected athlete burnout (β = -0.305). The coach-athlete relationship also did not significantly affect aggressive behavior (β = 0.054), and negatively affected athlete burnout (β = -0.303). Team efficacy negatively affected aggressive behavior (β = -0.516) and athlete burnout (β = -0.201). Finally, autonomy support was found to affect athlete burnout through the coach-athlete relationship and team efficacy.
UNASSIGNED: Considering that autonomy support affects athlete burnout through coach-athlete relationship and team efficacy, coaches need to enhance the quality of the coach-athlete relationship and improve team efficacy to reduce athlete burnout. Above all, the study findings suggest that coaches need to provide autonomy-supportive behaviors.

The process of athlete selection and deselection in sport involves not only athletes but also coaches, managers, performance directors, talent pathway coordinators and the wider organisation. Athlete selection and deselection can be viewed as the opposite sides of the same coin in that the process may be the same for all athletes but the outcome is very different. The outcome of this process can evoke extremely powerful emotions ranging from elevation to devastation. While selection and deselection are part of competitive sport regardless of type, level, gender or age, research is scarce. Employing the Delphi method, a total of 20 participants comprised the expert panel (coaches, athletes and other key personnel in high performance) from various sports, and ages ranged from 21 to 59 years old. Following three rounds, 60 items reached the pre-determined consensus level of 75%. The 60 items were then further content analysed and grouped with respect to the three key stakeholders: athlete (14), coach (21) and organisation (25). Within each of these categories, subcategories emerged: personal, interpersonal, procedural, educational, supportive, communicative and reviewing behaviours and actions that athletes, coaches and organisations can take to ease the navigation, apply consistency and establish a common ground during this challenging situation.

UNASSIGNED: The present study sought to understand the relationships between team identification, leader-member exchange (LMX) quality, and the basic psychological need satisfaction of collegiate athletes, as well as the moderating role of coach-athlete LMX quality.
UNASSIGNED: Self-reported data from 319 collegiate athletes were analyzed using SPSS version 29. The relationships between the study variables were tested by moderation analysis using PROCESS macro model 1.
UNASSIGNED: Regression analyses showed team identification to be positively related to the satisfaction of the needs for competence and relatedness, while LMX quality was positively related to the satisfaction of the needs for competence and autonomy. Furthermore, moderation analyses showed that LMX quality positively moderated the relationship between team identification and the satisfaction of the needs for competence and relatedness.
UNASSIGNED: The results of this study highlight the important role that team identification and LMX quality play in the satisfaction of the basic psychological needs of collegiate athletes. The implications of these results for the optimal functioning of collegiate athletes are discussed.

The importance of coach leadership to athlete development and performance has been identified in the literature. We respond to the call to investigate antecedents of coach transformational leadership and their indirect effects on athlete outcomes. We propose that coach extraversion as an antecedent of coach transformational leadership can indirectly impact follower cohesion and satisfaction. Building on this mediation model, we assert that educational environment (i.e., high school and university) may serve as a first-stage moderator between coach extraversion and transformational leadership. We used 48 coaches and their 570 athletes from competitive high school and university basketball teams to test this moderated mediation model. Our results indicate that coach extraversion indirectly impacts athlete cohesion and satisfaction via transformational leadership. Moreover, the indirect effects of coach extraversion on athlete outcomes via coach transformational leadership is conditionally significant only when coaches and athletes are in universities but not in high schools. Our findings highlight the importance of educational environment in determining the association between coach personality and leadership perception. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

The current study investigated whether factors such as living residence, the coach-athlete working alliance, goal orientation, and intrinsic motivation could explain drop-out, and whether these factors differed between athletes included in the elite- vs. general sport programs during high school years. In total 257 cross-country skiers, graduated from three different Norwegian Top Sport schools during the period from 2015 to 2019, were recruited to retrospectively investigate their experiences related to the time period when they participated in programs for cross-country skiing at high school. In total 116 of these athletes completed an online survey including validated and standardized instruments for the assessment of the coach-athlete working alliance (CAWAI), goal orientation (GO), perceived satisfaction with their performances (PAP) and intrinsic motivation (IM). The results showed that 84% of the athletes had dropped out from cross-country skiing, while 16% were still active. The highest ranked fixed statements of causes for drop-out was \"a natural choice\" (3.79 ± 1.11), \"priority of education or work\" (3.61 ± 1.30), \"lack of motivation\" (3.49 ± 1.28), \"negative performance development\" (3.46 ± 1.18), and \"challenges with health\" (3.25 ± 1.54). There were significant differences between active and drop-out in scores for reciprocity between the coaches\' and the athletes\' perceptions of goals (CAWAI-goal; 5.87 ± .98 vs. 5.07 ± 1.15; p = .004), the coach-athlete relationship bond (CAWAI-bond; 6.08 ± .91 vs. 5.07 ± 1.38; p = .001), and tasks chosen to reach the defined goals (CAWAI-task; 5.61 ± .92 vs. 4.90 ± 1.09; p = .006). Furthermore, active athletes had higher mastery orientation (22.11 ± 2.88 vs. 20.00 ± 3.74; p = .010). A hierarchical binary logistic regression analysis showed that place of residence and the coach-athlete working alliance were significant predictors of drop-out while mastery and performance goal orientation or intrinsic motivation were not significant. All five predictors explained 23% of the variability in drop out from cross-country skiing. Overall, 58% and 42% of the athletes participated in the elite and general programs for cross-country skiing during high school, respectively. The athletes that took part in the elite programs reported significantly stronger coach-athlete working alliances (CAWAI-sum; 14.46±3.10 vs. 14.28±3.37; p = .000), higher mastery orientation (21.19±3.50 vs. 19.36±3.66; p = .008), and performance satisfaction (PAP; 19.17±5.98 vs. 15.69±5.19; p = .001) compared to the athletes attending general programs. The results are discussed in terms of existing knowledge on how place of residence, the coach-athlete working alliance, goal orientation, performances, and motivation might impact drop-out in cross-country skiing.

UNASSIGNED: The current study investigated the impacts of autocratic and democratic leadership styles on the coach-athlete relationship, athletes\' motivations, and athlete satisfaction.
UNASSIGNED: Survey data were collected from 298 student-athletes (male = 157; 52.7%, female = 141; 47.3%) from 20 different Chinese collegiate sports. The Structural Equation Model was used to test the hypothesized model.
UNASSIGNED: The results indicated democratic leadership had a direct positive influence on the coach-athlete relationship, while autocratic leadership had no direct effect. Both leadership styles did not influence autonomous motivation. The coach-athlete relationship, meanwhile, had a full mediation effect between democratic leadership and athletes\' motivation and satisfaction. In addition, autonomous motivation had a partial mediation effect between the coach-athlete relationship and athlete satisfaction.
UNASSIGNED: Ultimately, the findings of the current study underscore the need for coaches and administrators to understand the impact of different leadership styles and highlight the importance of democratic leadership in improving athletes\' psychological outcomes.

Sexual violence against athletes in elite and leisure sport has become of growing interest in recent years. In line with social media initiatives such as #SportToo and #CoachDontTouchMe and a rise in general media coverage, research in this field indicates an urgent need for action. These recent developments occasionally have led to no-touch policies, which may result in moral panic, uncertainty, and fear of unjustified suspicion among coaches. However, the role of closeness and distance in the development of sexual violence within the coach-athlete relationship has not yet been researched systematically. In this scoping review, the authors focus on the coach-athlete relationship, particularly its predispositions to sexual violence and how to prevent abusive relationships. Some characteristics typical of elite sport may predispose coaches to commit abuse, such as gender and power relations, the need for physical touch, hierarchical structures in sport, and trust and closeness between coaches and athletes. This scoping review follows an interdisciplinary approach combining sociological and psychological perspectives. It comprises 25 publications in English and German published from 2000 to 2019. The literature review highlights that closeness, power, blurred boundaries, and ambiguous roles are areas that seem to be crucial to the analysis of the coach-athlete relationship from both sociological and psychological perspectives.

The COVID-19 pandemic brought unprecedented changes to daily life and in the first wave in the UK, it led to a societal shutdown including playing sport and concern was placed for the mental health of athletes. Identifying mood states experienced in lockdown and self-regulating strategies is useful for the development of interventions to help mood management. Whilst this can be done on a general level, examination of sport-specific effects and the experience of athletes and coaches can help develop interventions grounded in real world experiences. The present study investigated perceived differences in mood states of boxers before and during COVID-19 isolation in the first lockdown among boxers. Boxing is an individual and high-contact sport where training tends to form a key aspect of their identity. Boxers develop close relationships with their coach and boxing. Hence boxers were vulnerable to experiencing negative mood, and support via the coach was potentially unavailable. Participants were 58 experienced participants (44 boxers, male n = 33, female n = 11; 14 boxing coaches, male n = 11, female n = 3). Boxers completed the Brunel Mood Scale to assess mood before COVID-19 using a retrospective approach and during COVID-19 using a \"right now\" time frame. Boxers responded to open-ended questions to capture mood regulation strategies used. Coaches responded to open ended questions to capture how they helped regulate boxer\'s mood. MANOVA results indicated a large significant increase in the intensity of unpleasant moods (anger, confusion, depression, fatigue, and tension) and reduction in vigor during COVID-19 (d = 0.93). Using Lane and Terry (2000) conceptual framework, results showed participants reporting depressed mood also reported an extremely negative mood profile as hypothesized. Qualitative data indicated that effective mood-regulation strategies used included maintaining close coach-athlete contact and helping create a sense of making progress in training. When seen collectively, findings illustrate that mood state responses to COVID-19 were severe. It is suggested that that active self-regulation and self-care should be a feature of training programmes to aid coaches and boxers in regulating mood when faced with severe situational changes.

This paper examined the relationship between coaches and youth athletes in China by comparing data collected before and after the lockdown. A total of 221 youth athletes aged 13-19 years in one professional football school completed coach-athlete relationship questionnaires. The rank-sum test was used to verify the differences in the data. The results of the Mann-Whitney U test showed that mean value of the three dimensions of the coach-athlete relationship (closeness, commitment, and complementarity) increased after the COVID-19 lockdown. The results also showed that athletes of different age categories showed different changes in the coach-athlete relationship after the lockdown, and the changes were not significantly related to the severity of the COVID-19 epidemic. The theoretical and practical implications are discussed.