Proposals for social and psychological adaptation of highly qualified athletes after sport career termination

Solution of problems of social and psychological adaptation, public support of highly qualified athletes after sport career termination turns to be relevant. Objective: to elaborate scientifically based proposals on employment, education and social integration of career-ending athletes for their effective social adaptation. Research organization. The survey was carried out by Plekhanov Russian University of Economics in the form of an interactive questionnaire for top-level athletes. The authors interviewed 30 Russian national team members who left sports in the period from 2008 to 2018 years. Conclusion: the authors used foreign and domestic experience, sociological study of Russian national team members performing at the international level in order to develop proposals for social and psychological adaptation of top-level athletes. The following proposals were addressed to the Ministry of Sport of the Russian Federation, the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection of the Russian Federation: 1) quota jobs; 2) vocational training and retraining; 3) financial benefits within 10 years after termination of sport career; 4) implementation of employment support for athletes; 5) elaboration of the mechanism for inclusion in social and educational activities; 6) variable models of psychological and pedagogical support for athletes terminating sport career; classification of psycho-pedagogical conditions of social adaptation of athletes; 7) a complex of medical and rehabilitation activities with recommendations for the Ministry of Health; 8) creation of favorable environment for vocational guidance and professional training during active presentation period and preparatory activities at training camps (on-site lectures and seminars, meetings, video conferencing); 9) delivery of university curriculum for various training profiles considering extended absences of athletes from classes; study and implementation of the experience of leading sport universities in Soviet period (sport faculty and Higher School of Coaches of GCOLIFK, Moscow, etc.)

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