ECSS Paris 2023: OP-SH10
Background China’s ambition to become a global football power has led to substantial investment in youth academies. However, the developmental experiences of elite young players within this rapidly evolving system remain underexplored. Unlike established football nations, Chinese academies operate within a unique cultural-structural context characterised by ‘three together’ model (training, studying, residing), Confucian hierarchies, and reliance on relational networks. While existing research examines isolated performance factors, few studies have holistically investigated the negative psychosocial hurdles athletes face from multiple stakeholder perspectives. This study, therefore, aimed to explore the systemic and individual barriers perceived by athletes, parents, and coaches within China’s elite youth football academy. Methods Grounded in critical realism, this qualitative study employed a two-stage semi-structured interview. 35 participants (23 male players, 6 parents, and 6 coaches) were recruited from eight professional academies across three tiers of Chinese football. Data were collected via focus groups and individual interviews. Reflexive thematic analysis, guided by retroductive reasoning, was used to identify patterns in experiential data and theorise the underlying structural and cultural mechanisms shaping participants’ experiences. Results Two themes were identified. “It’s Out of My Control” took systemic barriers perceived as beyond players’ control, including: (1) financial instability driven by volatile real estate investment; (2) institutional chaos and normalised corruption; and (3) institutionalised bullying, rationalised by authoritarian coaching cultures. “Through my effort” reflected effort-mediated difficulties, including: (1) unviable goal conflict between football and education, intensified by Confucian filial piety; (2) chronic injuries from unsustainable training loads; (3) interpersonal conflicts exacerbated by hierarchical silence; and (4) uncertain futures due to policy volatility and bureaucratic registration failures. Triangulated perspectives revealed how structural precarity and cultural norms amplify psychosocial strain, eroding trust, well-being, and career sustainability. Conclusions This study provides empirical evidence that China’s youth football academies are characterised by a fundamental misalignment between aspirational policy goals and the lived realities of stakeholders. Barriers are not merely operational failures but are deeply embedded in and amplified by specific socio-cultural logics. The findings challenge short-term, extractive talent models and underscore the need for athlete-centred reforms, including financial regulation, transparent governance, dual-career pathways, and psychosocial support. Without systemic transformation, the current environment risks perpetuating a cycle of precarity and attrition, undermining both athlete welfare and China’s long-term football development ambitions.
Read CV Yutao ZhouECSS Paris 2023: OP-SH10
Purpose: Menstrual cycle symptom prevalence and perceived impacts in athletes have been well documented in recent years. However, less is known about how symptoms are actively managed within elite training and competition contexts. The current study aimed to address this issue by describing menstrual cycle-related symptom management practices among elite female endurance athletes and examining the contextual factors shaping implementation of these practices in high-performance sport settings. Methods: A qualitative descriptive approach was adopted to explore cycle-related symptom management. Participants were recruited globally to capture diverse perspectives, and only those rating at least two cycle-related symptoms as ‘severe’ in a pre-interview survey were included. Nine international female athletes (aged 28.3±4.9 y), representing eight countries and six endurance sports, completed the semi-structured interviews. Data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis following six iterative phases of familiarisation, coding, theme generation, review, definition and reporting. Results: Eight of the nine athletes reported tracking cycle timings and at least one symptom or physiological metric. Tracking was commonly used to anticipate bleeding and interpret changes in perceived readiness to train, but athletes described limited symptom-specific management options beyond pain-focused strategies (e.g., analgesics and heat application), and situational training modification. Athletes frequently described bloating and breast pain as difficult to manage, with few strategies to overcome these discomforts perceived to be known or effective. Bleed management strategies and product choices were shaped by individual needs (i.e., heaviness of bleeding), sport demands, cultural norms, access during travel and competition, knowledge of options, and personal preference. Experiences of support from coaches, sport scientists and medical practitioners to help manage the cycle-related symptoms in sport varied, and some athletes reported uncertainty or dissatisfaction when receiving advice about hormonal contraception as a symptom management strategy. Conclusions: In this sample of elite female endurance athletes experiencing severe cycle-related symptoms, cycle tracking was common but symptom management practices beyond this were often limited and highly individual, with variation in perceived support provided by coaches and support staff. These findings identify a need for applied, sport-relevant research on feasible cycle-related symptom management options and for improved application into practice within female athlete care systems.
Read CV Natalie BrownECSS Paris 2023: OP-SH10
Introduction Elite athletes represent a critical resource for the sustainable development of high-performance sport. In Olympic disciplines such as swimming, extending competitive longevity is essential for maximizing performance return and reducing the high costs of talent development. Although Chinese swimming has achieved sustained international success, maintaining athletes at peak performance across multiple competitive cycles remains a major challenge. This study aimed to identify key determinants of career longevity in Chinese elite swimmers and to characterize life-course patterns of athletic development. Methods Guided by life-course theory, a retrospective design was applied. Following an a priori power analysis (power = 0.95, α = 0.05), 189 valid questionnaires were collected from elite Chinese swimmers (95 active, 94 retired) across 21 provinces. Participants included 104 males and 85 females, with 41 national-team athletes and 134 National Master level or above. Random forest analysis was used to identify key predictors, followed by Kaplan–Meier survival analysis and Cox proportional hazards modeling. Education level, sport classification, athlete type, and primary stroke were treated as categorical variables. Multicollinearity was assessed and excluded. Results Mean career length was 14.49 ± 0.35 years, with only 17.98% of athletes competing for more than 15 years. Clear stage-specific developmental patterns were observed. Male athletes entered key training stages later than females but had shorter professional careers. Education level and sport classification significantly influenced career longevity, with performance acting as a key mediator. Athletes with higher education showed significantly longer careers. Intrinsic motivation during early training stages was strongly protective, whereas excessive training load, high fatigue, and injury-related absences markedly increased retirement risk. Balanced nutrition, moderate training volume, and effective coach–athlete communication were associated with prolonged careers. Conclusion Career longevity in elite Chinese swimmers is determined by the interaction of developmental, training, physiological, and psychosocial factors. Early motivation, appropriate load management, sufficient recovery, and supportive coaching environments are critical for sustaining long-term performance. These findings provide evidence-based guidance for optimizing talent development and promoting sustainable elite sport performance.
Read CV Haixu HUECSS Paris 2023: OP-SH10