Abstract
Olympic athletes face an array of stressors associated with sport (Fletcher & Sarkar, 2012), and social support can be valuable in helping athletes deal with stressors (Gould & Maynard, 2009). However, much of this research has focused on athletes and has not explored the impact that providing support has on support providers. Thus, the purpose of this study was to explore the experience of providing and receiving support between female Olympians and their respective main support providers at the Olympic Games. Five female Olympians and each of their main support providers participated in a semi-structured interview. Data were thematically analyzed (Braun & Clarke, 2006). Participants described the process of support provision (e.g., mode and frequency of contact, emotion regulation), positive and negative outcomes of support provision (including the development of dependence between athletes and supporters), and the impact of organizational structures on the provision and receipt of support. It appeared that the substantial amount of time spent together and the frequent use of technology to provide support fostered the development of athlete dependence on their supporters, with some supporters adopting a parental role with their athletes. Support providers experienced difficulties maintaining other social relationships due to their commitment to supporting their athlete, which led some support providers to perceive a lack of support available for themselves. The results also suggested that the distribution of monetary and non-monetary resources by sport organizations can have a large impact on the provision and receipt of social support.
