From Last Competition to Next Purpose: An Integrated Programme for Preparation, Transition, and Retirement Follow-Up in High-Performance Sport ]

In high-performance sport, everything is structured: schedules, goals, performance metrics, hierarchies, identity. Yet, paradoxically, the end of an athletic career remains one of the least structured phases in an athlete’s life. For many elite athletes, retirement does not happen in a single moment — it happens every day that follows: - on the first day without training, - in the first week without a call-up, - in the first month without a competitive goal, - in the first year without a clear identity. Research consistently shows that the absence of preparation and longitudinal follow-up increases the risk of: - depression and anxiety, - identity crisis, - risk behaviours, - social isolation, - financial and professional difficulties. This article proposes a practical, applicable, evidence-based programme that turns the exit from competitive sport into a supported process rather than an abrupt void.