Published on 20 September 2022

Webinar: Well-being in Competitive Sport

A webinar on the topic was held on 14 September 2022:

The mental health of competitive athletes is currently widely discussed. Mental health is characterized not only by the absence of mental disorders, but also with the presence of well-being. And it is this last area that the webinar will be focusing on. Two speakers will present their research. The presentations will last 30 minutes each followed by 15 minutes discussion where the audience can ask questions. There will be a short break between the presentations. The webinar is in English and is intended for students, researchers and other interested persons. No previous knowledge is necessary. The webinar is organized by the Swiss Federal Institute of Sport Magglingen in collaboration with the Sports Science Society of Switzerland (SGS).

• Presentation 1: The Missing Link? The Contribution of Self-Compassion on Athletes’ Well-Being (Leah Ferguson)

  Bio: Leah Ferguson, Ph.D. (she/her/hers), is Métis from Treaty 6 territory and the homeland of the Métis Nation. She is an Associate Professor in the College of Kinesiology at the University of Saskatchewan, Canada, and her primary research area is sport psychology. Through her nationally-funded research, she explores how women athletes flourish and reach their potential, and she is particularly interested in the role and impact of self-compassion in the lives of women athletes. She is also a Mental Performance Consultant with the Sport Medicine & Science Council of Saskatchewan and a Professional Member of the Canadian Sport Psychology Association. She translates her sport psychology research into practice through her applied work with athletes, teams, coaches, and sport parents, ranging from grassroots to high performance levels, to facilitate well-being and performance for positive sport experiences.

• Presentation 2: Aspects of Well-being and Identity after the Athletic Career (Michael Schmid)

  Bio: Michael Schmid, Ph.D., psychologist and sport scientist, works as a postdoctoral researcher at the Institute of Sports Science at the University of Bern, Switzerland. His research and teaching focus on athletic careers, talent identification and development with a special focus on psychological aspects. He also participated in the Olympic Games as a rower and won several World and European Championship medals.