The International Society of Sport Psychology continues expanding in terms of membership advantages and recent activities. Two weeks ago, we happily announced the 2025 ISSP World Congress will be held in Hong Kong, December 8-12. The link to this congress will be found on the ISSP website. The congress theme and keynote announcements, along with further details, can be expected later this Summer. Hong Kong is an attractive international location, easily accessible from all parts of the world. The time of year for the congress was chosen based on the temperate weather. We look forward to meeting you in person at this major professional event.
The ISSP Think Tanks for 2023 and 2024 have also been scheduled. The 2023 Think Tanks, to take place at Hubei University, China, is focused on “Coach Mental Health.” International experts have been invited to participate from Europe, Africa, North America, Australia, and the continent of Asia. The local organizing committee is chaired by Zhijian Huang, a member of the ISSP Managing Council. For the first time ever, the discussions will be accessible remotely via the ISSP YouTube Channel. More information will be available in September.
The International Journal of Sport and Exercise continues to grow in prominence. Each year, submission rates increase by 20% on average. To offset the demand, the number of associate editors has grown, and the broader editorial board has equally expanded. To commemorate twenty years in the field, the IJSEP installments have each included a feature article as its opening from such notable scholars as Stuart Biddle, Dan Gould, Diane Gill, Liwei Zhang, and Markus Raab. Further information can be found here.
When visiting the ISSP website, you will now also find that in 2023 we launched the World Hall of Fame. World-renowned sport psychology professionals, past and present, though well-established, are being inducted each year to recognize global contributions to the field in theory, science, practice, and leadership. The inaugural inductees include deceased inductees Robert Singer, Denis Glencross, Dorothy Harris, Ferrucio Antonelli, Atshushi Fujita, Herman Rieder, Jose Ferrer-Hombravella, Miroslav Vanek, Terry Orlick; and living members Dieter Hackfort, Glyn Roberts, Sidonio Serpa, Dan Gould, Gershon Tenenbaum, Diane Gill, Jurgen Nitsch, Gloria Balague, Joan Duda, and Leonard Zaichkowsky. Within the coming years, further renowned professionals will join these eminent professionals. The nomination process can be found here.
With the growing prominence of the IJSEP, we have now launched the ISSP Academy of Science. The Academy of Science is chaired by me, as its founding leader, with support from the ISSP Publications Committee. When a pressing theme topic with high-quality manuscripts found within the IJSEP necessitates feature, the Academy will invite four adjudicators from the World Hall of Fame to rank order the highest profile manuscripts derived from the journal. The successful manuscripts are then featured in an edited compilation, though in an updated format. The inaugural topic, in partnership with Routledge Publishers, is “Mental Health in Sport and Physical Activity.” The edited book will be available in 2024.
The ISSP Registry and Supervisor’s status continue to develop under the watchful eye of Chris Harwood and the Accreditation Committee. New applicants have submitted their materials regularly, and the three education modules are now available online. Should you wish to learn more about how to become an ISSP-R and an ISSP-S, more information can be found at the following link.
The ISSP Global Master Class series continues this September through December, organized by Alessandro Quartiroli. Each year, the ISSP invites several world-renowned expert scientist-practitioners. The ISSP Global Master Class series began with Stuart Vella, discussing mental health. Gangyan Si and Kristoffer Henriksen recently shared their views on mental preparation in relation to Olympic contexts. Most recently, Chris Wagstaff has been announced as part of the Autumn (in the western hemisphere) schedule, calendared for September 26. Shortly, an announcement will be shared about our first ISSP Global Master Class lecture offered in Chinese, led by Liwei Zhang. As demand increases, the series will expand into several further languages. Further information can be found here.
We are enthused by the progress of this society, the ISSP. However, we are not nearly satisfied with the status of this society, and we are committed to pushing the boundaries of science and practice.
Robert Schinke
President International Society of Sport Psychology