EXAMINATION OF PSYCHOLOGICAL PERFORMANCE OF ATHLETES WHO PARTICIPATE IN OUTDOOR SPORTS

The aim of this research is to show the psychological performance of athletes who participate in a variety of outdoor sports. This study is of paramount importance due to a lack of research on this particular subject in Turkey. The universe of the research involves individuals who took part in outdoor sports between 2015 and 2016. The sample of the study consists of 304 people with an interest in outdoor sports in various cities in Turkey: Gaziantep, Istanbul, Izmir, Ankara and Antalya. In the research, "Inventory of Psychological Performance' developed by Loehr (1986) and adopted into Turkish was used to reveal the profile of athletes’ intellectual skills. As a result, statistically significant differences were found in variables of gender, marital status, age and experience (p<0.05). No statistical difference was found in educational status and the type of outdoor sport. It can be said that psychological performance is an important factor for athletes. In order to reach targeted success and to achieve a higher level of athletic performance, it's suggested that psychological support should be given to athletes and more research should be done on the subject