Exploring the potential athletic career frameworks/models for the Whole Nation System (China)
Date
2021-01-06
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Abstract
In recent years, the Chinese government and people are gradually realizing the
importance of physical education, mental health, and the overall development of athletes. In
sport psychology, the significance of the athletic career discourse (ACD) has been recognized by
sport psychology researchers and practitioners. Some sport psychology scholars have dedicated
their efforts to structuring the athletic career knowledge which has been utilized to conduct
research to understand athletes’ career development stages and transitions. Furthermore, based
on the athletic career research, many intervention programs and strategies have been applied
around the world in order to help athletes cope crisis-transitions and strive career excellence both
within and outside sports. However, athletic career research has not widely been conducted in
mainland China, and there is a need for contextualized athletic career research which is specific
to China because athletes’ development will be influenced by the sport systems, societal norms,
and culture. In this paper, I found some issues (e.g., low educational level, short lifespan), which
are associated with athletic career, of the Whole Nation System and Chinese athletes through
understanding the Whole Nation System and a self-reflection. Furthermore, I found several
athletic career frameworks/models which may be, in part, suitable to conduct athletic career
research for Chinese athletes, through a literature review of athletic career research.
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Keywords
Athletic career, career development, career transition, crisis-transition, self-reflection the Whole Nation System, Chinese athletes