Carolina Lundqvist: Keynote Speaker at the FISU World Conference

The Rhine-Ruhr 2025 FISU World University Games are approaching, and with them a special event: the FISU World Conference, the platform for interdisciplinary scientific exchange, which, with the theme ‘Competing for Change: Exploring Sustainability and (Mental) Health through Sports’, will shed light on important issues related to physical performance, (mental) health and environmental sustainability. A total of six outstanding keynote speakers are expected. We introduce them all.

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Carolina Lundqvist, a renowned scientist, sports psychologist and licensed clinical psychotherapist from Sweden, will kick off the International Day of Women and Girls in Science. In her presentation ‘Mental health and performance under pressure among athletes’, she will provide in-depth insights into mental health and sustainable careers in elite sport.

An impressive career

Carolina Lundqvist, Ph.D., is Senior Associate Professor of Psychology and Associate Professor of Sport Science at Linköping University. She also works as a researcher at the Athletics Research Center and is the research coordinator at the dual-career programme for elite athletes at her university. With more than 25 years of experience in applied sports psychology she has prepared numerous top athletes and their coaches for international competitions, including European and World Championships and Olympic Games.

Lundqvist's career has been characterised by curiosity and the relentless pursuit of knowledge. From an early age she was fascinated by psychology combined with her own sporting experience, which led her to focus on mental processes in competitive sport. In the mid-1990s, when the field was still in early stages of development, she knew she wanted to pursue research to actively shape knowledge in this field.

Mental health in sport as a central mission

One of her groundbreaking works is the article ‘Well-being in competitive sports - the feel-good factor?’ published in 2011 in which she highlighted the critical role of athletes’ psychological and social well-being in their long-term success and performance. At the time this article received little attention but in recent years the topic of well-being and mental health in sport has taken centre stage.

Today, Lundqvist’s research examines how elite athletes can remain mentally resilient while building a sustainable career. She emphasises that not every strategy is suitable for all athletes - individualized and evidence-informed approaches tailored to athletes’ specific needs and supportive environments are crucial.

Sustainability and mental strength in high-performance sport

At the FISU World Conference, Lundqvist will share her insights on the integration of mental health and sustainability in sport. She believes that sports organisations should prioritise mental health as much as physical health. She advocates for educational efforts to improve practitioners’ qualifications to work with mental health in the sports sector and the systematic evaluation of mental health services in sports organisations.

Another important topic she addresses in her research is toxic leadership in high-performance sport. Her studies show that a performance-orientated culture with a “win-at-all-cost” narrative and power structures in sports environments or organizations can lead to detrimental mental health effects on athletes. Her findings offer valuable approaches to steer high-performance sport in a more sustainable and healthy direction.

A role model in science on International Day for Women and Girls in Science

As a woman in a male-dominated industry, Lundqvist sees her role as a scientist and mentor as essential. She encourages women to assert themselves in science, build networks and not shy away from challenges. ‘Competence should be the focus, not gender,’ she emphasises.

With her inspiring career and her insights, Carolina Lundqvist will make a decisive contribution at the FISU World Conference. Her work has the potential to permanently change the perception of mental health in sport and shape a new generation of athletes, coaches and researchers.