Supporting The Wellbeing For Athletes Of Faith

This chapter examines issues relating to supporting athletes of faith, or in a broader sense, spiritual athletes. Faith can be difficult to clearly define, similar to other terms describing human behaviour and beliefs like “leadership.” The term “spirituality” encompasses the potentially overlapping concepts of faith, religion, and spirituality. Some athletes self-identify as spiritual, religious, or as a person of faith, while others ignore, deny, or compartmentalise it out of their athletic identity. It is the responsibility of the sport organisation to create a culture that recognises and values the identities of all athletes, whether they are spiritual or not. This chapter focuses on three interrelated aspects of effective sport organisations: organisational culture, holistic, athlete-centred coaching, and the concept of respectful pluralism. In fact, recognising and supporting an individual’s faith and spirituality is a duty in providing holistic care. For example, this support may include adjustments to training times, locations, uniforms, and nutrition. It is imperative that administrators, coaches, and anyone supporting athletes recognise each athlete as an individual and allow them to express their individual spiritual beliefs while still respecting the rights and beliefs of others.