Bullying is not just a problem of school-age athletes. A significant proportion of professional athletes gets involved or is involved in it, while sports organizations are still more inclined to focus on performance rather than on ensuring a safe sports environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In 2018-2021, a Project Manager Prof. Dr. Jolita Vveinhardt and Prof. Dr. Vilija Fominien\u0117, the researchers of the Lithuanian Sports University, implemented the project during which a total of 1837 Lithuanian athletes and coaches were surveyed, bullying intervention models operating in sports organizations were investigated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The quantitative research demonstrated that almost half of respondents had experienced various acts of bullying and their prevalence depended on both the group of the sports branch and the athlete\u2019s gender. Meanwhile, interviews with athletes and coaches helped to highlight the deep-rooted causes of the phenomenon such as authoritarian culture, stereotypical approaches towards athletes\u2019 \u201cpsychological hardening\u201d and motivation, confusion of athletic resolve with violence against colleagues and aggression vented on opponents, a lack of abilities to recognise bullying, and its concealment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bullying is not only a problem of athletes\u2019 interpersonal relationships but also of the sports organizations\u2019 ability to ensure the safe and healthy environment. The study showed that even those organizations that used certain bullying intervention measures lacked clear and defined procedures, attention to the competence of professionals analysing complaints, community involvement, and a system of assistance not only to the victim of bullying but also to the perpetrator and bystanders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n