Award for best article 2024

The article is "Start a conversation about vulnerability in elite sports". It aims to challenge prevailing norms and ideals in elite sports by drawing attention to and stimulating conversations and reflections on vulnerability. This can contribute to lowering thresholds for help-seeking and increasing human sustainability.

The intention is to challenge the archetypical "story" of the successful. It is usually a story characterized by a singular focus on achievement, overcoming challenges by working harder than others, and the espousal of attitudes that perpetuate the idealizing of toughness and resilience.

Honored and proud

– We drew on elite coaches' definitions of vulnerability. Then, we used their words to create word clouds and poems that can be used for reflection and discussion about vulnerability in sports. In the article, we also wrote a practically oriented exercise for practitioners and educators to use the word clouds and the poems. Still, they can also be used separately, says Karin Hägglund.

– It was gratifying to work on this, and I know I speak for all four of us writers when I say that we feel very honored to receive this award. It means a lot.

The article is published in the Journal of Sport Psychology in Action External link, opens in new window.

Karin Hägglund, Christopher R. D. Wagstaff, Göran Kenttä and Richard Thelwell are co-authors of the study Starting a conversation about vulnerability in elite sport.