Unveiling the coach-athlete relationship in Major international competitions: A qualitative study of national team coaches

Abstract

Although the coach–athlete relationship has been widely examined across competitive levels, limited research has focused on its dynamics within elite national team settings. This study explored the coach-athlete relationship in the context of national team coaches participating in major international competitions (e.g., European Championships, World Championships, and Olympic Games). A semi-structured protocol was used to interview 13 elite national team coaches from team and individual sports. A reflexive thematic analysis revealed three higher-order themes: (1) Coaching identities are shaped through experience and transition, highlighting how national team coaches build their profiles through personal pathways, lifelong learning, and relational competence; (2) Constructing performance beyond skill, showing that athlete selection transcends technical-tactical criteria, integrating psychosocial fit and team dynamics; and (3) Navigating connections in high-stakes contexts, illustrating how relational management, closeness, and complementarity influence sports success across competition phases. These findings expand existing knowledge by offering an in-depth understanding of coach-athlete relationship in elite national team settings, emphasising the interplay between individual profiles and relational processes. This study reinforces the importance of relational expertise as a core coaching skill and underlines the value of adaptive leadership in managing interpersonal dynamics. The practical implications include guiding the design of professional development programmes to strengthen interpersonal coaching skills and informing selection and communication strategies within national teams. By addressing a gap in the literature, this study contributes to enhancing the quality of coach–athlete interactions in high-performance environments and offers practical insights for federations, coaching organisations, and sport governing bodies aiming to optimise professional development and team performance.