Life after professional sports: Post-retirement experiences and perceptions, career transitions and future aspirations of Bulgarian rhythmic gymnasts

This dissertation aims to examine the lives of Bulgarian rhythmic gymnasts who have ended their active sports careers. In an attempt to explore this post-retirement period, two distinct target groups were investigated: 5 Bulgarian rhythmic gymnasts who took part in the Rio 2016 Olympics and 5 Bulgarian rhythmic gymnasts who participated in the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics. Each of them answered a questionnaire, consisting of 18 questions. It was specifically designed to find out more about a) their current everyday lives and connection to rhythmic gymnastics, b) personal opinions on the sport – best way and time to stop, successes, regrets, negative residual effects (injuries), etc. – and c) aspects about their retirement such as their subsequent mental states, fears, new goals and areas of personal growth, presence of moral support from their families, team and sports staff, just to name a few. Additionally, apart from the interesting findings gathered on the emerging themes above, this paper’s results demonstrate d) the minor role of the institutions in securing an easier integration into society for the gymnasts after their professional career is over, e) the athletes’ positive attitude to the label “young pensioners” put on them, and, finally, f) their valuable messages to future champions like themselves who are preparing or are about to bring an end to their sporting journey. The reference to previous research into the topic provided important insights into the realm of athletic career transitions and the most common perceptions, assistances and challenges faced by rhythmic gymnasts.