Main description:

Health and Elite Sport is the first book to critically examine the relationship between participation in high performance sport and health outcomes. Drawing on theory and empirical data from a wide range of disciplines, including sociology, developmental psychology, epidemiology, and physical education, the book explores the benefits and detriments of participation in elite sport for both individuals (athletes, coaches, spectators) and communities.

Written by a team of leading international sport researchers, the book examines key issues including:

Talent identification and young athletes

Abuse in sport

Positive youth development through sport

Athlete health in periods of transition

Health, sport and the family

Health in professional sport

The Olympics, Paralympics and public health

Long term effects of participation in elite sport

Highlighting the connections and contradictions between high performance sport and health, the book also discusses the clear and important implications for our socio-cultural, political and developmental understanding of sport. Health and Elite Sport is fascinating and important reading for all students and researchers with an interest in youth sport, sports development, sport policy, sports coaching, exercise and health, physical education, the sociology of sport, or the sociology of health.

Contents:

Foreword Chapter 1. Sport and health of the high performance athlete: An introduction to the text Part 1: Health and the developing elite athlete Chapter 2. Personal development and performance? Exploring positive youth development in elite sport contexts Chapter 3. Talent identification and development: The impact on athlete health? Chapter 4. Health and the athletic family Chapter 5. Injury risk and long-term effects of injury in elite youth sports Part 2: Elite sport participation over the lifecourse Chapter 6. In the name of performance: Threats, belittlement, and degradation Chapter 7. Transitional challenges and elite athletes' mental health Chapter 8. Sport and longevity: Does being an elite athlete result in longer life? Chapter 9. An early grave or the fountain of youth: Sport and the malleability of chronological age Part 3: From self to society: Select topics on the elite sport-health question Chapter 10. 'To thine own self be true': Sports work, mental illness and the problem of authenticity Chapter 11. Pushing towards excellence: Is Paralympic sport a healthy pursuit? Chapter 12. Re-imagining the urban citizen: Leveraging physical cultural legacies Chapter 13. The Olympic movement, sport and health