A Case Study of a Senior High-Performance Leader Managing Psychological Effects During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The potential scope for qualified sport psychology service providers is broadening. Recent empirical research and associated commentaries have highlighted the opportunity for applied sport psychology professionals to apply concepts and experiences toward having a positive effect on athletes’ training environment. This case study details a high-performance leader within an Australian national training institute who is also a trained sport psychology practitioner, attempting to optimize psychological effects in the time leading up to the Tokyo 2020 (i.e., 2021) Olympic Games. The objective was to meet or exceed medal targets though the provision of a strong, team-led approach where activity to achieve high-performance outcomes was prioritized but in a manner that leveraged strong professional relationships and through the prioritization of everyone’s mental and emotional health whenever practicably achievable.