Elitidrott+akademiska studier=En utmaning
En kvalitativ studie om möjligheterna och svårigheterna med kombinationen elitidrott och akademiska studier
Dual careerEnvironmentAcademic studiesElite sportDubbla karriärerOmgivningenAkademiska studierElitidrott
Elite sport is becoming more professional, and elite athletes have to be more committed to spend several hours in training to achieve elite level and this means that the time to pursue a university academic career to the side of elite sport is minimized. Still only few elite athletes will be able to make a living of their sport. The objective of this study is to gain a better understanding of the opportunities and difficulties for a student who combines academic study with elite sport. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews with eight students studying at the University of Umeå, combining elite sport with academic studies. Results show that there are high demands on elite students to structure and plan for the combination of studies and elite sport. The study also shows that environmental factors in the form of university teachers and directors of studies, but also coaches and leaders in the various compounds have a major impact on how favorable combination becomes.