Studies retrieved from each database were initially exported to Microsoft Excel. Duplications were carefully checked and flagged for exclusion on subsequent Excel tab sheets. Two authors (H.P.R. and A.K.) were tasked with independently selecting studies by reading the title and abstract, followed by the full text, and identifying systematic reviews that met the eligibility criteria. Discrepancies regarding study inclusion were discussed and resolved by consensus with the author (M.F.D.). A manual search in the references of the selected articles used the same eligibility criteria as the studies obtained from the electronic database search.

The initial search using Boolean operators and relevant keywords across electronic databases yielded a total of 367 articles. Two authors, H.P.R. and A.K., extracted data based on key characteristics of each study. They organized the information into columns: author, publication year, article title, journal, database searched, study purpose, and methodology. The extraction process was carried out methodically and carefully. In the end, 19 articles were selected that met the inclusion criteria. A comprehensive summary of the study characteristics, including sample details, research methods, and key findings, is provided in (Table 2).

These articles were then subjected to further synthesis in order to facilitate an investigation of the pivotal findings emanating from the research. In the subsequent analysis, we identified significant findings that would guide the researcher in developing the research theme, as illustrated in the table below: (i) Author, year (ii) Sample characteristics (iii) Type of sport, (iv) Research objectives (v) Research design (vi) Important findings (vii) Research themes. Data was input according to the table columns provided.

The initial step in determining the theme of each article was based on its main findings. These findings were carefully reviewed multiple times until the content was fully understood. The interpretation of these findings was then used to derive a major theme of the article. At this stage, the themes were not categorized or grouped but were formed freely based on the author's in-depth understanding. Subsequently, the main themes of the articles were organized into similar categories, leading to three research themes: obstacles, meaning, and development. These themes were color-coded (yellow for meaning, red for barriers, green for athlete development) to aid in the grouping process.

We then synthesized the key research findings from each article within the same thematic group. At this stage, we simplified the key findings and provided conclusions for each article. After that, we grouped each simplified conclusion into a table with intersections or closeness of meaning. Finally, we pulled the key findings back into the subordinate themes and gave them meaning and appropriate descriptions. For a clearer understanding of the data synthesis process, see an example of the analysis of the theme The meaning of competitive sports for adolescents (Table 3).

The risk of bias and methodological quality of the included studies were assessed independently by two authors with an understanding of adolescent athletes (C.S. and H.S.) using Risk of Bias Assessments. Disagreements between reviewers were resolved through discussion with a third reviewer (A.K). We adopted the risk of bias assessment for the study, a systematic review of talent assessment in sports (46), and the methodological quality of the included studies using the critical appraisal for qualitative studies (containing 21 items) (47). Each qualitative article is evaluated based on the following 21 items: objectives (item 1), literature review (item 2), study design (items 3, 4, and 5), sampling (items 6, 7, 8, and 9), data collection (descriptive clarity: items 10, 11, and 12; procedural rigor: item 13), data analysis (analytical rigor: items 14 and 15; audibility: items 16 and 17; theoretical connection: item 18), overall rigor (item 19), and conclusion/implications (items 20 and 21). The results per item are coded as 1 (meets the criteria), 0 (does not fully meet the criteria), or NA (not applicable). The final score expressed in relative value is reported for each study following the assessment guidelines (46). The final score is the total of all scores for specific items divided by the total number of items assessed for that specific research project (i.e., 21 items). Classification of articles as (1) low methodological quality - with a score <50%; (2) good methodological quality—score between 51% and 75%; and (3) very good methodological quality—with a score > 75%.

The research team examined an initial set of 367 articles generated by the search engine: Web of Science (WoS) = 158, Scopus = 182, PubMed = 27. The initial screening identified 55 disqualified articles consisting of duplicate files, resulting in 312 articles to be re-selected. From the 312 articles, our team conducted a re-screening by examining the relevance of the title to the research topic, the article's completeness, the year of publication, and the article's eligibility. The result was that 222 were excluded, leaving 90 articles included. The report was assessed for eligibility, and 90 articles met the criteria for full-text analysis. All important information from the articles in Microsoft Excel includes the author, publication year, title, journal, objective, method, participants, research objective, and results.

The result was that 71 articles were excluded for the following reasons; twelve (12) articles have participants who have reached adulthood, as many as twelve (12) articles use quantitative methods or questionnaires and the like that do not capture the meaning and experience of participants, as many as twelve (12) articles discuss health sports, recreation, and traditional games, fifteen (15) of his research articles focus on health, biomechanics, and physical, twenty (20) articles do not focus on exploring teenagers’ experiences or being adolescent athletes.

From a rigorous selection process, 19 articles were included. All included articles were eligible for analysis and synthesis as they met the criteria of: having adolescent participants, using qualitative methods with an emphasis on meaning and immersive experiences, including competitive and organized sports, research findings on the psychological and social environment of being an adolescent athlete, and lastly focusing on the experience of being an adolescent athlete or during being an adolescent athlete. The PRISMA flowchart summarizes the details of all study options (Figure 1).

The results risk of bias assessment of the research methodology quality of the 19 included qualitative studies is as follows: (1) the average score for the 19 included qualitative studies is 96.0%; (2) 9 articles achieved a maximum score of 100%; (3) no publication received a score below 75%. The results of the bias risk assessment of the included review are presented in (Table 4). Figure 2 illustrates the publication year profile of the studies. Of the included studies, 13 (68.4%) were published within the 5 years between 2018 and 2023. The remaining publications on the experiences of adolescent athletes in competitive sports consistently only range from 1 study (2015, 2016) to 2 studies (2014, 2007).

As shown in the data description results (Table 5), this study is specifically aimed at examining the experiences of adolescent athletes in competitive sports life, with participants generally under 18 years old, totaling 14 (74%). In contrast, 5 (26%) adult participants are former athletes reflecting on their experiences as adolescent athletes. Because the emphasis is on the experiences and meanings encountered, this study predominantly used qualitative methods, with 15 (79%) employing qualitative research and 4 (21%) using a mixed-method approach. All the sports included are organized competitive sports with a wide variety of types; there are 6 (31.6%) team or group types, 6 (31.6%) individual types, and 7 (36.8%) a mix of individual and group types. This research yields significant experiences of adolescent athletes in competitive sports activities in their development through literature that includes (19 studies), divided into three themes. First, a depiction of the most meaningful experiences provided by adolescent athletes at every moment of their journey in competitive sports was presented in a study of 6 (31.5%). Second, a review of negative experiences that hindered adolescent athletes in competitive sports was examined by several 6 studies (31.5%). Third, positive experiences that influence athlete development were reviewed with a total of 8 studies (37%).

Table 6 summarizes the synthesis of the research theme findings. The theme of meaningful experiences, in terms of enjoyment, shows progression (48–51) 67% (4/6) studies show that participation in competitive sports is considered enjoyable, exciting, pride-inducing, skill-enhancing, and continuously improving. Regarding the sense of community that supports each other (48–52) 83% (5/6) studies discuss that adolescent athletes experience a sense of togetherness (parents, coaches, friends), which in turn forms a community that creates mutually supportive relationships for the athletes’ progress. In terms of consequences (48, 50, 53) 50% (3/6) studies report that loss of friends, frequency of play, and high social expectations become the consequences and challenges that adolescent athletes bear to continue developing. On the theme of barriers for adolescent athletes: in terms of prolonged injuries (2, 54, 55) 50% (3/6) studies report injuries as a highly negative experience that significantly affects their participation in competitive sports. Regarding weak commitment (38, 55–57) 67% (4/6) studies report pressure from various sources affecting the commitment of adolescent athletes to participate in competitive sports. In terms of an unsupportive sports environment (38, 54, 56) 50% (3/6) studies report various inadequate support such as funding, transparency, and psychological support for adolescent athletes. On the theme of the influence of athlete development: in terms of a constructive training atmosphere (39, 40, 58, 59) 57% (4/7) studies describe how athletes feel that a well-established training atmosphere makes them feel enjoyable, relaxed, and easy to socialize, enjoying the social aspect as members of the sports community. In terms of Connectedness 43% (3, 39, 58) (3/7), studies report that the connections formed (family, friends, coaches) create stability for adolescent athletes, which in turn positively influences their development. In terms of personality development (3, 39, 60, 61) 57% (4/7), studies report that positive experiences in competitive sports have a transformative impact on the personal development of adolescent athletes, such as discipline, confidence, leadership, and socio-cultural skills valuable for their future.

Based on the findings from the synthesis of each theme of the included research results, the concept of the social environment influencing the significant experiences of adolescent athletes in competitive sports has been developed and presented visually in (Figure 3). This concept explains that in competitive sports activities, adolescent athletes gain meaningful experiences, experiences that become obstacles, and experiences that influence their development. The capture of meaningful experiences refers to adolescent athletes who attribute deep significance to every moment of their journey in organized sports. Experiences that become obstacles lead to the challenges or hurdles athletes face when participating in competitive sports. Developmental experiences occur through a reciprocal process of competitive sports activities for adolescent athletes, influenced by various factors that affect the progressive changes in adolescent athletes. This conceptual model then views the significant experiences of these adolescent athletes as a process of their activities in competitive sports, with the surrounding social support interactions being highly influential. Adolescent athletes consistently mention coaches, parents/family, friends, and organizations influencing their journey in competitive sports, ultimately creating significant experiences for them. Coaches, for example, are almost involved in all significant experiences for adolescent athletes; meaningful experiences can be created through enjoyable training patterns (50), the sense of togetherness among coaches like family (52), and the coaches’ art of continuously challenging athletes (48). Even though it can have negative meanings that become obstacles, such as the wrong training patterns (54), the coach's anticipation affecting commitment (56), and the lack of attention from the coach (57). The coach is someone who influences the development of athletes by creating a training atmosphere (39), the positive behavior of the coach (40), and providing a strong personality (60).

Adolescent athletes in competitive sports must create much excitement in the early stages of participation. Pleasure is an important predictor of athletes’ intrinsic motivation in the conclusion of his research (62). There is a sense of fulfillment within them because the competitive element of sports is closely tied to competition, pride, showcasing developing skills, and winning medals, but enjoying it in an atmosphere of excitement and fun will make it more meaningful in their research findings (48, 49). The role of the coach is very dominant here; coaches are perceived as life coaches for adolescents by adopting a more supportive approach, paying attention to the players’ needs, providing instructional feedback in a non-threatening manner, and praising the athletes; they seem to be able to reinforce the desire of adolescent athletes to develop (49). Coaches’ transformational leadership behavior and coach-athlete relationship quality are the best predictors of athlete development experiences (63).

In excitement, adolescent athletes also give meaning to new friends in the sports community by forming strong friendships that become a part of an adolescent's sports journey. Friends can provide feedback and motivate each other for improvement, and their skills create a drive to work harder and collaborate for team victories and success (49). Friendship and adult support in sports environments are woven over long periods, providing a sense of care that transcends organized relationships into enjoyable experiences for athletes’ well-being (48, 49). In its findings, sports become an opportunity to feel a sense of belonging and togetherness and blend into the crowd (51). Reflecting on the uniqueness of the sports experiences of adolescent athletes, the importance and strength of the friendships they create and maintain (48). Close friendships and the support and encouragement received from friends present in their sports experiences (52).

Thus, attention to field practice is significant to ensure that young athletes can develop through meaningful experiences participating in competitive sports. Practitioners and the adult environment of adolescent athletes must understand that the primary foundation for athletes starting in the world of sports is the enjoyment of adolescent athletes and meaningful friendships in competitive sports. Although they must be aware of the consequences of their participation, it becomes increasingly difficult to spend quality time with friends due to training commitments, and the nature of these relationships developing into potential sources of stress for adolescent athletes is a finding of the study (50, 53). Moreover, athletes learn from almost selective experiences of failure in competitive sports life, which significantly contributes to their growth; instead of giving up, they train harder to prove to their coaches that they are worthy (49). They see this pressure as an ‘opportunity’ for future challenges while understanding themselves as adolescent athletes. Of course, preventing and anticipating the negative consequences and meanings that can arise in the competitive sports lives of adolescent athletes and providing meaningful experiences in their activities to become elite athletes in the future will undoubtedly become a necessity.

Prolong injuries in adolescent athletes are a negative experience for their long-term participation in competitive sports. Adolescent athletes experience an increase in training volume and intensity alongside the rising demands of training and competition, but this is also when they suffer the most injuries, leading to frustration and withdrawal from competitive sports (2, 55). Many athletes experience injury pain that develops gradually during training, such as from hamstring strains and ankle sprains (2, 54). In the findings (2), adolescent athletes recruited from the World Athletics Championships narrated that continuous training activities caused their injuries despite feeling pain to meet the competition and national team requirements (2). Adolescent athletes, consisting of national teams from six countries representing three continents (Africa, Europe, and Asia), also recounted that their parents wanted them to continue training despite injuries to avoid jeopardizing their future athletic careers. The athletes’ experiences also consistently mention broken or inadequate equipment, lack of warm-up, and improper technique during matches, which in turn lead to injuries. Supporting similar findings in many cases, poor facilities became the leading cause of their injuries and failure to reach high levels of competition (54, 55). Then, Poor handling, as concluded from a study that asked adolescent athletes to summarize their experiences with medical support, often leads young athletes to repeatedly state that they must manage their health issues (2, 64). The main points of the findings indicate that the risk of injury and the severity of injuries are significant concerns among elite adolescent athletes.

The understanding and caution of stakeholders, such as the social environment, play an important role in managing athlete injuries and athlete commitment in competitive sports. Social support from organizations that are transparent in fund allocation can help the commitment of young athletes (54, 64). However, the lack of professionalism within organizations (e.g., sports federations, sports managers/administrators) can hinder young athletes in developing and maintaining sports operations. The negative experiences of young athletes reporting insufficient funding from organizations to continue their sports, potentially burdening their parents or themselves, are the main reasons why most of them choose to leave sports early (38, 55).

The negative experiences of the elitist nature of high-performance sports impact their academic performance and disrupt their other life commitments, leading to conflicts of interest and attempts at other activities (38, 57). In some cases, negative experiences such as concerns about negative body image are common among the adolescent female athletes, ranging from mild dissatisfaction (e.g., body dissatisfaction) to more serious issues (e.g., eating disorders), and that the sports environment can either support or hinder the development of a positive body image (56). Not to mention the excessive pressure often exerted by parents to excel in their sports and win competitions, which sometimes leads to frustration instead of supporting the athletic performance of young athletes (38, 54). In line with previous literature, this study provides additional support showing that the social psychological climate affects the perception of commitment (65). High levels of social support and external regulation in the long term can influence their goals, enhance satisfaction, and help their commitment to sports activities (62). By explicitly highlighting the important role of social support in sports development practices, athlete well-being (e.g., physical, mental, social) is not independent but interconnected and must be deliberately pursued by social support stakeholders (66). The lack of relationships with adults and an unsupportive organizational environment for adolescent athletes create negative experiences that hinder them from continuing to commit to and participate in competitive sports in the long term.

Changes in athlete development are often related to positive experiences in the sports activity environment. Coaches are responsible for creating a constructive training atmosphere where the coach-athlete relationship influences positive experiences that encompass trust, mutual understanding through discussion, and goal-oriented communication as key elements of positive experiences during childhood and adolescence (39, 40, 59). Coaches emphasize their desire to create an environment that facilitates player development through their experience and enthusiasm for the club and the sport (58). Such as validating findings that show the enjoyment of sports among adolescent athletes begins to fade due to excessive training with longer training distances and doing the same “work,” negative experiences with coaches or teammates (59). It is an art for a coach to continuously enhance an athlete's competence without diminishing their enjoyment and happiness in the atmosphere of competitive sports training.

When everything goes well, without interruptions, many young athletes focus their energy on athletic development and, to varying degrees, on their studies. In achieving those connections (parents, peers, coaches), they create stability for adolescent athletes in competitive sports (3). The family emerges as an introduction to sports for adolescent athletes and continues to motivate them to remain engaged in sports throughout childhood and adolescence (39, 58). The role of the family in several studies also ensures emotional support and self-esteem, attending training sessions, providing transportation to and from training, as well as tangible support and information through financial provision of equipment, supplies, and work-life balance (38, 39, 67–70). Equally important are relationships with friends who have similar experiences, which can foster a sense of belonging, need, understanding, and drive to continue improving (40, 58). In turn, connections with family, coaches, and friends significantly influence the maintenance of motivation and the consistent enjoyment of competitive sports, creating positive experiences in the development of young athletes.

Positive experiences in competitive sports have a transformative impact on the personal development of athletes. Scheduled activities such as eating, sleeping, and training take up a lot of time, so athletes rarely have the freedom to choose their activities, which becomes a valuable positive experience for future adolescent athletes (60). Adolescent athletes also explain how their self-confidence increases through participation in their respective sports teams, which influences the development of other skills, such as leadership, self-confidence, dedication, commitment, enjoyment, pride, and perseverance (3, 39, 60). Experience at the Youth Olympic Games (YOG) young athletes recounting the positive aspects of their participation such as: village environment, sports facilities, travel, ceremonies, medical services, and international experiences, sociocultural (especially informal) international, socio-cultural (especially informal) from the participation of young athletes in competitive sports (61). The participation of young athletes in competitive sports creates many positive experiences and, in turn, provides good personal development for young athletes for their future.

Understanding the significant experiences of adolescent athletes from the concept (Figure 3) may be beneficial in helping more adolescents engage in competitive sports while enhancing their positive developmental experiences. Confirming the theory that the characteristics of competitive sports training activities for adolescents reveal that consistent social support from coaches, parents, peers, and sports organization officials significantly contributes to relationships at the psychosocial development level during adolescence (50, 71, 72). At the same time, it supports the research model by Taryn K. Morgan, which describes how social support affects young people (73). For example, specific support system behaviors from coaches, parents, and peers influence the motivational atmosphere of adolescent athletes (74), creating a motivational climate that sustains athletes’ perseverance in sports (75, 76). In turn, it provides positive experiences by demonstrating trust and attachment to the sport and love for the sport they choose (77). Adolescent athletes speak very enthusiastically about how sports support autonomy and how meaningful and enjoyable they are for them (30, 78). The relationship with this social support fosters mutual understanding, trust, and friendship, culminating in the formation of harmonious connections that provide positive experiences in the sustainability of their competitive sports.

These findings align with the socio-ecological model (56, 79), where social support can address negative body image in adolescent girls’ sports. With a focus on negative experiences, improvements in all areas of the sports system may be valuable to help keep more adolescent female athletes engaged in sports while enhancing their positive sports experiences where misunderstandings in coaching adolescent athletes can transform the role of social support from coaches, parents, organizations, and peers into negative experiences in the competitive sports life of adolescents. As the theoretical findings from the Grounded Theory study of the influences affecting the sports experiences and withdrawal patterns of young athletes show, adolescents’ sports experiences and withdrawal patterns are influenced by their interpretations of personal, social, and organizational influences (80). Qualitative studies reveal that college, professional, and semi-professional athletes describe the theme of mental skill inhibition as consisting of athletes’ descriptions of poor coaches as distractions, causing self-doubt, demotivation, and team division (81). Similar to qualitative studies revealing that coaches are overly critical, negatively impacting their confidence during the transition period in elite sports (82). Athletes report that one of the main reasons they quit competitive sports is because they ‘do not like the pressure’ and ‘do not like their coach’ (83–85). Consistent studies on the withdrawal of adolescent athletes indicate that their negative experiences are influenced by their social environment, such as negative parental behaviors, which include placing too much emphasis on winning, having unrealistic expectations, and criticizing their children (76), deep sadness due to injuries, which can be caused by inadequate training programs (86, 87), poor coping techniques, and inadequate facilities (55, 88–90), conflicts with friends during training (84, 91).

Therefore, this becomes a concern in field practice to ensure that young athletes have positive experiences participating in competitive sports, which is undoubtedly greatly influenced by their social environment that works with their hearts for the development of young athletes—not just performing their duties and obligations without touching their hearts, for example, only focusing on teaching techniques, strategies, or physical aspects without considering the athletes’ emotions (63, 92–95). This is similar to parents who only accompany their child to the gym without asking, “How was your workout today?”. Give them space to grow and develop in competitive sports by experiencing positive experiences and reducing negative ones. If this process goes well, their transition to elite athletes will indeed be achieved and will benefit the personal development of young athletes.

A general consideration of this systematic review is the lack of literature comprehensively discussing adolescents experiencing organized competitive sports. The initial goal of this study is to synthesize various research projects that reveal important insights about adolescent athletes in their journey through organized competitive sports. The results of this synthesis are expected to enhance understanding and provide valuable insights into the significant experiences of adolescent athletes participating in competitive sports. This review is based on electronic databases, which apply secondary search strategies. This may have resulted in the identification and exclusion of several studies from the review. Finally, a total of 19 articles that met the inclusion criteria qualified, which is a modest evidence base, to examine the experiences of adolescent athletes. However, it is important to note several significant limitations. First of all, it is important to consider the heterogeneity of the participants, which can be seen from their ages. Secondly, competitive sports pursued by athletes have different characteristics, depending on whether individual- or team-oriented. Moreover, a deep understanding of the culture in which athletes are raised can make a significant difference, facilitating positive adaptation and development. The findings of this study will provide a broader understanding of adolescent athletes in competitive sports while also highlighting the importance of their socio-cultural development.

The findings suggest that working with young athletes requires attention to both visible and invisible factors. It is not just about tracking time, training loads, and medal targets. Young athletes need to be in the right environment, and the environment must be right for them to support positive development. Ensuring that sport provides meaning in their lives, fostering happiness, togetherness, and growth, is essential. They must connect with social elements such as family, coaches, and peers to support their journey towards becoming elite athletes. Future research should: (i) incorporate a wider range of methods to explore adolescent athletes in professional sports; (ii) investigate the long-term outcomes of both successful and unsuccessful adolescent athletes in professional sports; (iii) delve into the stories of adolescents being prepared to become elite athletes; and (iv) consider gender perspectives in competitive sport.