Determinants for excellence in Orienteering: The representation of elite coaches and athletes

Abstract

The understanding of sport excellence has always provided an intense debate about the underlying factors. However, in sport orienteering, research in the field of excellence has been scarce. This study sought to identify the determining factors in the acquisition, development, and maintenance of excellence in orienteering. Developed under the qualitative analysis, semi-structured interviews were applied to a group of ten elite Iberian coaches and a group of fourteen elite athletes from the national teams of Switzerland, Norway, Denmark, France, Italy, Bulgaria, Romania, and Latvia. The results identify that, similarly, coaches and athletes consider secondary factors associated with socio-contextual aspects, such as family, friends / peers and coaches, and sociocultural aspects as the major determinants determining orienteering excellence. On the other hand, they recognize that among the primary factors, psychological factors and sports preparation are the main variables that directly influence performance of excellence. They also stress the need for interaction between the various factors for the acquisition, development, and maintenance of excellence in orienteering. Supported by these results, we may conclude that excellence in orientation presents a multidimensional matrix and its effective implementation is determined by the successful interaction between the dimensions of performance and the socio-contextual and cultural dimensions that involve the orienteering modality.