Aim and focus of the workshop
The workshop served as a prelude to the ‘Sport & Sustainability’ conference and was designed to support PhD students. The focus was on interdisciplinary and intra-disciplinary exchange among PhD students themselves and with their mentors. A key objective was also to critically examine the academic environment, with a particular focus on career paths, best practices in supervision and mental health.
Presentations
In three parallel sessions, the PhD students presented their current research and received feedback. The wide range of topics included sustainability in climbing, digitalisation, volunteering in sports clubs, and inclusion in wheelchair sports. There were also two keynote speeches: Marco Hollenstein spoke on ‘Academic careers and good practices in PhD supervision’. Olivier Spiess and Mirjam Zeiter examined the PhD as a period of psychological risk in the context of mental health.
Theoretical discussions
The supervision of PhD students was discussed as a complex process of relationship-building that should be based on clear agreements – such as a doctoral agreement. Structural and psychological stressors were discussed at length: the SWiMS survey revealed that many PhD students suffer from work-related stress (49%) and depressive symptoms (22%). The main causes are fixed-term contracts, high levels of dependency and pressure to publish. Individual strategies (e.g. self-care) were contrasted with structural demands (such as 60% of working hours set aside for research).
Social event
A varied social programme was organised to encourage informal interaction. On Tuesday afternoon, group sports activities took place, followed by dinner at the institute. Wednesday morning also began with a sports programme as part of the main conference.
Conclusion
The workshop provided an ideal platform for PhD students in the sociology and economics of sport to exchange ideas. It facilitated academic feedback and encouraged critical reflection on working conditions. It became clear that academic excellence can only be secured in the long term through social sustainability and the active protection of PhD students’ mental health.
