Many medals, but few interventions: the paradox of sports psychology research and Olympic combat sports

BackgroundIn the Tokyo 2021 Olympics, combat sports (boxing, fencing, judo, karate, taekwondo, and wrestling) will play a leading role, constituting approximately 22% of all the contested medals. For competitive success, there is a strong connection between combat sports and high specific emotional burdens of matches.PurposeTo analyze the scientific production on sports psychology in Olympic combat sports, through a scoping systematic review.MethodsA computer literature search was conducted in the PubMed database (up to December 2019). The keywords used were associated with Olympic combat sports and sports psychology.ResultsThe electronic search returned 610 articles. After applying the eligibility criteria, 67 studies were included in this scoping systematic review. However, only two studies included some type of psychological intervention.ConclusionThis scenario is troubling given the prominence of combat sports in Summer Olympic Games.