ABSTRACT
From its early beginnings at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century the scientific discipline of sport psychology has focused on the psychological aspects of sport, physical activity, and physical education. Research and publications treated themes such as personality and character development, the relation between physical strain and mental performance, pathological effects of physical activity, and contributions to training and competition. It is in fact at the Olympic level that the role of psychology recently became front page news. As such the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games actually became labelled as the “mental games” and as a “game-changer in how we view athletes’ mental health”. Taking this increased focus on the role of the mental side of performing at the Olympic Games (OGs) in general, and on the provision of psychological support to Olympic athletes in particular, this chapter will provide an overview of some of the recent developments in the application of sport psychology at Olympic level and in view of the Olympic Games.
