13 - 17 July 2026, Timisoara - Romania

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Pre-Congress

Pre-Congress Workshop 1

Applying a new framework using Brainspotting and EMDR to address epigenetic, developmental, and recent trauma in performance enhancement

This interactive workshop will explore a trauma-informed approach to performance, including:
• Brainspotting vs. EMDR in applied practice
• Case discussions and experiential learning
• Practical techniques for performance enhancement

A valuable opportunity for practitioners, researchers, and students interested in advancing their work in performance psychology.

🎙 Facilitator: Dr. Alessia Bruno (Clinical & Sport Psychologist, SASP-FEPSAC; EMDR Europe Consultant; Brainspotting Consultant & Trainer).

Pre-Congress Workshop 2

From Consensus to Practice: Implementing IOC Mental Health Frameworks and Tools

How do we translate IOC mental health consensus into real action in high-performance sport? This workshop focuses on practical implementation strategies, case examples, and adaptable tools to support early identification, risk management, and integrated care pathways for athletes.

🎙 Facilitator: Margo Mountjoy, MD, PhD — Clinical Professor (McMaster University, Canada) and member of the IOC Medical Commission’s Mental Health Working Group.

Pre-Congress Workshop 3

From Athlete Voice to System Change: Engineering Better Sport Through Advisory Leadership

How can athlete input move from symbolic consultation to real systems-level influence? This interactive workshop explores athlete advisory leadership through systems thinking, governance, power dynamics, and psychological safety, plus practical frameworks for embedding athlete-centredness into policy and everyday sport practice. Expect case discussions, small-group exercises, and applied mapping tools.

🎙 Facilitator: Dr. Sasha Gollish: professional engineer, PhD in civil engineering and applies systems thinking to sport performance, governance, and athlete well-being, coach, and retiring Canadian middle-/long-distance runner (Pan Am Games bronze medalist), focused on athlete voice, equity, youth sport reform, and system change.

Pre-Congress Workshop 4

Using heart rate variability in sport & exercise psychology
Practical insights for recovery, stress regulation & performance
Want to move beyond “HRV as a number” and actually use it in applied work?
This workshop explores practical ways sport & exercise psychologists can integrate HRV to support:
✔️ recovery
✔️ stress regulation
✔️ cognitive & performance readiness
with clear takeaways for both research and practice.
 
🎙 Facilitator: Sylvain Laborde (German Sport University Cologne)
Associate Professor, founder of HRV LABorde – Performance Psychophysiology
Author of 150+ peer-reviewed papers & 4 books
Keynote speaker in 5 languages
Developer of the Vagal Tank Theory
His work connects HRV, breathing techniques, emotional intelligence & performance.

Pre-Congress Workshop 5

Beyond Performance: Psychological First Aid, Safeguarding and Athlete Welfare in High-Performance Sport – Practical Tools for Sport Psychologists Working with Elite Athletes and Sport Organizations
This workshop offers practical, system-aware tools for sport psychologists working in elite settings, focusing on:
✅ early identification of distress and environmental risk factors
✅ psychological first aid (PFA) and safeguarding in practice
✅ supporting athletes ethically within complex high-performance systems
 
🎙 Facilitator: Alina Gherghișan – sport psychologist, Welfare & Safeguarding expert and European project manager at the Romanian Olympic and Sports Committee, with 18+ years in high-performance sport and extensive experience in European safeguarding and wellbeing initiatives.

Pre-Congress Workshop 6

The Body That Speaks: Posturology as an Interface Between Movement, Emotion and Performance
This workshop explores posturology as an integrative approach to understanding the relationship between movement, emotional processes and functional performance.
The session will focus on:
✅ the connection between posture, emotional regulation and stress adaptation
✅ the impact of chronic stress, anxiety and cognitive overload on postural control
✅ the role of postural and baropodometric assessment in identifying adaptive and maladaptive patterns
✅ the practical value of posturology for performance optimization and prevention in both clinical and high-performance settings
By bridging movement science and psychology, this workshop offers a biopsychosocial perspective on human adaptation, resilience and performance.
 
🎙 Facilitators: Dr Irina Gaiu and Dr Diana Torje

Pre-Congress Workshop 7

Using Athlete365 resources in applied sport psychology practice
This workshop will explore how the IOC’s Athlete365 resources can be integrated into everyday applied practice with athletes and their entourage.
Participants will gain practical insights on how to translate key topics such as mental health, safeguarding, dual career, and athlete well-being into concrete strategies for real-world settings.
 
🎙 Facilitator: Scott Sloan, International Olympic Committee
With over 15 years of experience across sport, mental health, and international development, and currently serving as Senior Project Manager for Mental Health at the IOC, Scott brings a valuable applied and global perspective to this session.