EUPHORIA project advances in the design of a mental health framework for high-performance sports

The working meeting at the CAR in Sant Cugat has allowed for the definition of the thematic map that will serve as a basis for offering mental health promotion policies in European high-performance sports

In this meeting, researchers from the IRE, CAR, INSEP (French High Performance Centre), the Swedish Sports Confederation, and the Belgian teams from VUB (Vrije Universiteit Brussel) and BOEC (Belgian Olympic Committee) worked together with the aim of progressing on shared research tasks. During the first part of the sessions, national results obtained through surveys and interviews with managers and professionals from sports organizations were shared. The analysis focused on how mental health services, structures, and policies are perceived across the different institutional contexts represented.

This comparison of realities allowed for the identification of both similarities and organizational specificities that are fundamental for the development of the next phases of the study. Subsequently, the work focused on building an initial thematic map based on the key indicators identified in previous stages. This outline constitutes the starting point for developing a comprehensive mental health framework that will be completed with contributions from athletes, academic experts, their inner circles, families, teachers, and managers.

The alignment shown by the international teams during these days ensures a solid foundation for defining future support and well-being systems in the high-performance field. This face-to-face collaboration has allowed for progress in unifying technical criteria that will be key for the publications and tools derived from the research. The team continues to work on integrating all perspectives to consolidate a proposal that is applicable and promotes and cares for the mental health of sports professionals.