“As kids we were told to just train and skip everything else”: environmental factors shaping Danish athletes’ specialisation processes

Research in youth sport specialisation has demonstrated that pathways to reach elite level in sport are dynamic, non-linear, and unique for each athlete. International governing bodies recommend late sport specialisation and multisport participation as a sustainable pathway to elite level. Yet, these recommendations do not appear to align with current trends in children and youth sport where children and adolescents seem to specialise at an earlier and earlier age. This study aims to investigate environmental factors that collectively shape Danish elite athletes’ specialisation processes. We interviewed 18 Danish elite athletes (nine women, nine men) aged 18–23 from three different sports (handball, badminton and TeamGym), and did a reflexive thematic analysis. With a holistic ecological approach as a backdrop, we identified two main themes with sub-themes: Environmental factors that limit multisport participation and accelerate “too much too early” (e.g., “start early”-logic) and Environmental factors that facilitate multisport participation and delay specialisation (e.g., coaches’ flexible approach). Where developmental models often frame specialisation as a discrete choice or developmental stage, we contend that specialisation processes are produced from accumulated pressures in the micro, meso and macro levels of the environment. Specialisation processes were different between the three sports and within each sport (e.g., between men and women gymnasts). We, therefore, conclude that specialisation pathways are shaped by what is possible and accessible in a specific environment (i.e., structure and culture).