Professor Paul Wylleman awarded highest international honor in sport psychology

Professor Paul Wylleman, professor of clinical and sport psychology at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), has received the ISSP Distinguished International Sport Psychologist Award. This prestigious honor from the International Society of Sport Psychology (ISSP) is regarded as the highest recognition in the field and celebrates his exceptional and long-standing contribution to the global development of sport psychology. The award will be presented at the World Congress of Sport Psychology in December 2025 in Hong Kong.

Wylleman’s work lies at the intersection of sport, psychology, and society. Central to his research is the question of how athletes can achieve peak performance without compromising their mental health, both during and after their sporting careers. He adopts an integrated approach that ranges from performance enhancement and support for stress and sleep problems to clinical care for conditions such as burnout and depression.

A particularly innovative aspect of his research is his focus on the broader environment surrounding the athlete. According to Wylleman, parents, coaches, partners, as well as referees and judges, are all part of a psychological ecosystem that directly influences performance and well-being. This broad perspective is also reflected in his extensive practical experience from supporting elite student-athletes at VUB to serving as a team psychologist and Welfare Officer for Olympic and Paralympic teams at both national and international levels.

Beyond the sports context, Wylleman also applies sport psychology insights to other domains. Themes such as coping with pressure, resilience, leadership, and talent development are increasingly finding their way into education, business, and healthcare. Within VUB, he also works to further integrate sport psychology into psychology degree programs.

With this international recognition, the ISSP not only acknowledges Wylleman’s scientific impact but also his societal relevance. Wylleman himself sees the award primarily as motivation to continue building bridges between research and practice, and between sport and society.

Read more