“HOW IS IT TO BE AN ATHLETE IN BRAZIL?”: A STUDY ON THE ABANDONMENT IN THE ELITE SPORT

Abstract

In order to identify the factors that involve the impossibility and consequent abandonment of the practice of elite sports, this descriptive study focused on this theme using a questionnaire composed of open and closed questions, made available on the Google Forms platform, and whose answers were analyzed through descriptive statistics. The sample consisted of 96 former athletes aged 16 to 62, from various modalities and Brazilian states. The results indicate that the need to reconcile work and/or study is the main factor in dropping out, followed by insufficient financial support from sports organizations, as well as the perception of devaluation, lack of recognition, and precarious training infrastructure. These findings suggest that remaining in high-performance sports in the Brazilian context is strongly conditioned by structural and institutional factors that go beyond the individual dimension of athletes. Furthermore, conditions such as greater government investment, appreciation from teams and clubs, and access to psychological services were identified as elements that could favor continued participation in sports. In this sense, the study contributes to broadening the understanding of the determinants of sports dropout in Brazil, highlighting the need for public policies, institutional strategies, and interventions in the field of Sports Psychology that promote better conditions for remaining in high-performance sports.