Transition from Sports Career to Post-Sports Career
A Study with High-Performance Brazilian Olympic Ex-Athletes
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.22456/1982-8918.142228Keywords:
Physical Education, Sport, AthletesAbstract
The transition from an active professional life to retirement is an important and decisive moment in one’s life, especially when there is planning for financial stability and other guarantees. However, in sports, this transition is fraught with uncertainty. This study aimed to investigate the transition from career to post-career among former Brazilian Olympic track and field athletes. Eight Brazilian track and field athletes who participated in a summer edition of the Olympic Games were interviewed. As a result, athletes choose to retire for various reasons, and academic background remains a concern both during their time as athletes and in the post-career period. We concluded that the transition to the post-career lacks an organized plan that encompasses various aspects of the sports career, including support from public and private entities in Brazil.
Downloads
References
AGRESTA, Marisa Cury; BRANDÃO, Maria Regina Ferreira; BARROS NETO, Turíbio Leite de. Causas e consequências físicas e emocionais do término de carreira esportiva. Revista Brasileira de Medicina do Esporte, v. 14, n. 6, p. 504-508, 2008. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1590/S1517-86922008000600006
ALFERMANN, Dorothee; STAMBULOVA, Natalia. Career transitions and career termination. In: TENENBAUM, Gershon; EKLUND, Robert C. (ed.). Handbook of Sport Psychology. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley and Sons Inc, 2007. p. 712-733. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118270011.ch32
ALFERMANN, Dorothee; STAMBULOVA, Natalia; ZEMAITYTE, Aiste. Reactions to sport career termination: a cross-national comparison of German, Lithuanian, and Russian athletes. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, v. 5, n. 1, p. 61-75, 2004. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S1469-0292(02)00050-X
ANGUERA, M. Teresa et al. Diachronic analysis of qualitative data. In: ONWUEGBUZIE, Anthony J.; JOHNSON, R. Burke. (ed.). The Routledge
reviewer’s guide for mixed methods research analysis. London: Routledge, 2021. p. 125-138. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203729434
ANGUERA, M. Teresa; HERNÁNDEZ-MENDO, Antonio. Avances en estudios observacionales de ciencias del deporte desde los mixed methods. Cuadernos de Psicología del Deporte, v. 16, n. 1, p. 17-30, 2016. Available at: https://revistas.um.es/cpd/article/view/254261 Accessed on: Aug. 5, 2024.
ATO, Manuel; LÓPEZ-GARCIA, Juan; BENAVENTE, Ana. Un sistema de clasificación de los diseños de investigación en psicología. Anales de Psicología/Annals of Psychology, v. 29, n. 3, p. 1038-1059, 2013. DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.6018/analesps.29.3.178511
BARDIN, Lawrence. Análise de conteúdo. São Paulo: Edições 70, 2011.
BOURDIEU, Pierre. Sobre a televisão. Rio de Janeiro: Jorge Zahar Editor, 1997.
CBAT. Heróis Olímpicos participam de ações em Belém. 2014. Available at: http://www.cbat.org.br/noticias/noticia.asp?news=7366&back=S. Accessed on: Aug. 15, 2024
COSTA, Aline Bogoni; SOARES, Dulce Helena Penna. Orientação psicológica para a aposentadoria. Revista Psicologia Organizações e Trabalho, v. 9, n. 2, p. 97-108, 2009.
CÔTÉ, Jean; BAKER, Joseph; ABERNETHY, Bruce. Practice and play in the development of sport expertise. In: TENENBAUM, Gershon; EKLUND, Robert C. (ed.). Handbook of Sport Psychology. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley and Sons Inc, 2007. p. 184-202. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118270011.ch8
D'ANGELO, Ricardo Antonio. Predição da intensidade de corrida em máxima fase estável de lactato a partir da velocidade crítica em atletas fundistas de alto rendimento. Relações com performances. 2008. Dissertação (Mestrado em Ciências da Motricidade) – Instituto de Biociências, UNESP, Rio Claro. Available at: http://hdl.handle.net/11449/87465.
DE BOSSCHER, Veerle et al. Explaining international sporting success: an international comparison of elite sport systems and policies in six countries. Sport Management Review, v. 12, n. 3, p. 113-136, 2009. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smr.2009.01.001
ELIAS, Norbert. A. Sociedade dos indivíduos. Rio de Janeiro: Jorge Zahar, 1994.
ELIAS, Norbert; DUNNING, Eric. A busca da excitação. Lisboa: Difel, 1992.
ELIAS, Norbert; SCOTSON, John. Os estabelecidos e os outsiders. Rio de Janeiro: Jorge Zahar, 2000.
ERICSSON, K. Anders. Development of elite performance and deliberate practice: an update from the perspective of the elite expert performance approach. In: STARKES, Janet L.; ERICSSON, Karl Anders (ed.). Expert performance in sports. Champaign: Human Kinetics, 2003. p. 49-83.
ERPIČ, S. Cecić; WYLLEMAN, Paul; ZUPANČIČ, Maja. The effect of athletic and nonathletic factors on the sports career termination process. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, v. 5, n. 1, p. 45-59, 2004. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S1469-0292(02)00046-8
FISHER, Leslee A.; WRISBERG, Craig A. How to handle athletes transitioning out of sport. Athletic Therapy Today, v. 12, n. 2, p. 49-50, 2007. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1123/att.12.2.49
GONZÁLEZ, Fernando Jaime; BORGES, Robson Machado; SFALCIN, Alexandre. O sonho acabou! abandono da carreira esportiva de atletas profissionais de futebol. Corpoconsciência, v. 19, n. 1, p. 1-10, 2015.
GRECO, Pablo Juan; BENDA, Rodolfo Novellino. Iniciação esportiva universal: da aprendizagem motora ao treinamento técnico. Belo Horizonte: UFMG, 1998. v. 1.
GREEN, B. Christine. Building sport programs to optimize athlete recruitment, retention, and transition: toward a normative theory of sport development. Journal of Sport Management, v. 19, n. 3, p. 233-253, 2005. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1123/jsm.19.3.233
GUTTMANN, Allen. From ritual to record: the nature of modern sports. New York: Columbia University Press, 1978.
HENRIKSEN, Kristoffer; STAMBULOVA, Natalia; ROESSLER, Kirsten Kaya. Holistic approach to athletic talent development environments: a successful sailing milieu. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, v. 11, n. 3, p. 212-222, 2010. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2009.10.005
HOLLINGS, Stephen C.; MALLETT, Clifford J.; HUME, Patria. The transition from elite junior track-and-field athlete to successful senior athlete: why some do, why others don’t. International Journal of Sports Science and Coaching, v. 9, n. 3, p. 457-471, 2014. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1260/1747-9541.9.3.457
HUXLEY, Dianne J.; O’CONNOR, Donna; BENNIE, Andrew. Olympic and World Championship track and field athletes’ experiences during the specializing and investment stages of development: a qualitative study with Australian male and female representatives. Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health, v. 10, n. 2, p. 256-272, 2018. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/2159676X.2017.1393452
INSTITUTO BRASILEIRO DE SEGURIDADE SOCIAL. Boletins da Previdência Social. 2025. Available at: https://www.gov.br/previdencia/pt-br/assuntos/previdencia-social/Dados-estatisticos-previdencia-social-e-inss/boletins-da-previdencia-social. Accessed on: Sep. 15. 2025.
KUETTEL, Andreas; BOYLE, Eleanor; SCHMID, Juerg. Factors contributing to the quality of the transition out of elite sports in Swiss, Danish, and Polish athletes. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, v. 29, p. 27-39, 2017. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2016.11.008
LAURINO, Cristiano Frota de Souza. Lesões ortopédicas no atletismo. Estudo clínico com seguimento de dois anos. Dissertação (Mestrado em Ciências da Saúde) – Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, 2005.
LOURENÇO, Thiago Fernando. Correlação entre o ponto de compensação respiratória e desempenho em corredores de rua. Dissertação (Mestrado em Educação Física) – Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas (SP), 2009. Available at: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12733/1610273 Accessed on: Aug. 15. 2024.
MACIEL, Luiz Henrique Rezende. Construções e transições de carreiras no esporte profissional: um estudo com ex-atletas de alto rendimento. Tese (Doutorado em Administração) – Universidade Federal de Lavras, Lavras (MG), 2015. Available at: https://repositorio.ufla.br/server/api/core/bitstreams/c00d20f8-4969-41c2-86fc-714fcb9b882a/content Accessed on: Aug. 15. 2024.
MARQUES, Carmen Lucia; IORA, Jacob Alfredo. Atletismo escolar: possibilidades, estratégias de objetivos, conteúdo de métodos em classes de Educação física. Movimento, v. 15, n. 2, p. 103-118, 2009. DOI: https://doi.org/10.22456/1982-8918.3078
MARQUES, Maurício Pimenta; SAMULSKI, Dietmar Martin. Análise da carreira esportiva de jovens atletas de futebol na transição da fase amadora para a fase profissional: escolaridade, iniciação, contexto sócio-familiar e planejamento da carreira. Revista Brasileira de Educação Física e Esporte, v. 23, n. 2, p. 103-119, 2009. Available at: https://revistas.usp.br/rbefe/article/view/16714 Accessed on: Aug. 15. 2024
MORALES-SÁNCHEZ, Verónica et al. A. Mixed-methods analysis of emotional quality in sports organizations: facial expressions of child users of sports services as data. Frontiers in Psychology, v. 11, p. 1199, 2020. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01199
NETTO JÚNIOR, Jayme. Lesão muscular: estudo em atletas da equipe brasileira de atletismo que participaram dos jogos olímpicos de Atlanta 1996. Dissertação (Mestrado em Educação Física) – Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, 2000.
NUNOMURA, Myrian; OLIVEIRA, Mauricio Santos. Centro de excelência e ginástica artística feminina: a perspectiva dos técnicos brasileiros. Motriz: Revista de Educação Física, v. 18, n. 2, p. 378-392, 2012. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1590/S1980-65742012000200018
O’NEILL, Maureen; ALLEN, Bill; CALDER, Angela M. Pressures to perform: an interview study of Australian high performance school-age athletes’ perceptions of balancing their school and sporting lives. Performance Enhancement and Health, v. 2, n. 3, p. 87-93, 2013. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.peh.2013.06.001
OPPA, Deraldo Ferreira. Atividade física no lazer e qualidade de vida relacionada à saúde em ex-atletas de atletismo de Santa Catarina. Dissertação (Mestrado em Educação Física) – Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, 2013. Available at: https://repositorio.ufsc.br/handle/123456789/106860 Accessed on: Aug. 15. 2024
PAHL, Ray. Depois do sucesso: ansiedade e identidade. São Paulo: Editora da UNESP, 1997.
PASTRE, Carlos Marcelo. Associações entre lesões desportivas e fatores causais na elite mundial do atletismo. Tese (Doutorado em Ciências da Saúde) – Faculdade de Medicina de São José do Rio Preto, São José do Rio Preto, 2005.
RUBIO, Katia. Joaquim Cruz: estratégias de preparação psicológica: da prática à teoria. São Paulo: Casa do Psicólogo, 2008.
RUDIO, Franz Victor. Introdução ao projeto de pesquisa científica. Petrópolis: Vozes, 1978.
SCHLOSSBERG, Nancy K. A model for analyzing human adaptation to transition. The Counseling Psychologist, v. 9, n. 2, p. 2-18, 1981. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/001100008100900202
STAMBULOVA, Natalia B Athlete’s crises: a developmental perspective. International Journal of Sport Psychology, v. 31, n. 4, p. 584-601, 2000.
STAMBULOVA, Natalia et al. The ISSP position stand: career development and transitions of athletes. International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, v. 7, n. 4, p. 395-412, 2009. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/1612197X.2009.9671916
TORREGROSA, Miquel et al. Olympic athletes back to retirement: a qualitative longitudinal study. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, v. 21, p. 50-56, 2015. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2015.03.003
TSUKAMOTO, Mariana Harumi Cruz; NUNOMURA, Myrian. Iniciação esportiva e infância: um olhar sobre a ginástica artística. Revista Brasileira de Ciências do Esporte, v. 26, n. 3, p. 159-176, 2005. Available at: https://www.redalyc.org/pdf/4013/401338510011.pdf Accessed on: Aug. 15. 2024
INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEE. The Athlete’s kit. 2014. Available at: http://www.olympic.org/athleteskit. Accessed on: Jan. 2015.
INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEE. IOC International Athletes Forum, 3rd – Final Programme. 2017. Available at: http://www.olympic.org/Documents/Reports/EN/en_report_1248.pdf. Accessed on: December 2017.
WYLLEMAN, Paul; LAVALLEE, David. A developmental perspective on transitions faced by athletes. In: WEISS, Maureen R. (ed.). Developmental sport and exercise psychology: a lifespan perspective. Morgantown: Fitness Information Technology, 2004. p. 507-527.
ZELEZNY, Jan. Succeeding outside the field of play: how can I ensure a good balance between sport and life? International Olympic Committee Athlete’s Handbook, 2010.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Movimento

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors retain the copyright to the manuscripts they submit and grant Movimento the right to publish the text in accordance with the open licensing policy adopted by the journal.
Movimento adopts the Creative Commons Atribuição 4.0 Internacional (CC BY 4.0) license and follows the Open Access model, which provides unrestricted online access, including free access, to all scholarly texts published by the journal.
When submitting a manuscript, authors must acknowledge that they are aware of the copyright licensing terms that will apply if the manuscript is accepted and published, as described below:
- Open access is a condition in which the copyright holder of a scholarly work grants third parties’ rights to use the work under an open license (Creative Commons Attribution, CC BY)
- Open access provides free and immediate access to the work, authorizing any user to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of articles; index them; pass them as data to software; or use them for any other lawful purpose.
Movimento encourages authors to self-archive accepted manuscripts by making them available on personal blogs, institutional repositories, academic social media platforms, and personal profiles, provided that the complete reference to the published version on the journal's website and/or the SciELO Collection page is included.