On 4th of October 2023 BOREC provided its expertise and support of its international network of experts in setting up a one-day conference and workshops during the Safe Sport Symposium organized during the World Championships Artistic Gymnastics in Antwerpen. Co-ordinated by Prof. Paul Wylleman in collaboration with Jon Strubbe from Sport Vlaanderen.
This conference started off with a panel session chaired by Prof. Paul Wylleman discussing the topic of ‘Elite sport and psychology: Opportunities and challenges’ with Prof. Chris Harwood of Nottingham Trent University, Prof. Hafrun Kristjánsdóttir of the National Olympic and Sports Association of Iceland, Belgian former elite gymnast Aagje Vanwalleghem, Mrs. Kuniko Sekiguchi of Japan Institute of Sports Sciences, and Prof. Heinrich Grobbelaar of Stellenbosch University.
The opening panel session was followed by three parallel rounds of four workshops conducted by international and national experts:
Workshop 'The role of psychology in developing and talented athletes' with Prof. Chris Harwood (Nottingham Trent University, Great Britain) and Prof. Jolan Kegelaers (Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium);
Workshop 'The mental health and wellbeing of coaches' with Prof. Heinrich Grobbelaar (Stellenbosch University, South-Africa) and Mr. Jef Brouwers (Psychologist GymFed, Belgium);
Workshop 'The multi-/interdisciplinary support team and the role of the psychologist' with Prof. Hafrun Kristjánsdóttir (National Olympic and Sports Association of Iceland, Iceland) & Mr. Ruben Neyens (Technical Director GymFed, Belgium);
Workshop 'Mental health issues and psychological challenges: From injuries to weight management’ with Mrs. Kuniko Sekiguchi (Japan Institute of Sports Sciences, Japan) & Mr. Jean Colinet (Capsport, Belgium)
The round of workshops was closed with a wrap-up ‘Lessons learned’ hosted by Jon Strubbe and Paul Wylleman. This successful conference day was closed by Mr. Paul Rowe, general director of Sport Vlaanderen.
