Three years have flown by, and it’s hard to believe this is my final month as chair of the International Relations Committee (IRC)! My heartfelt gratitude goes to my past and present committee members. Their dedication has been essential in our collective efforts to enhance inclusivity and collaboration within our field.

Since its inception, the IRC has been committed to increasing our visibility and impact by building a robust global network of Sport and Performance Psychology (SPP) researchers and practitioners and elevating the standards of practice worldwide. Previous committee chairs have made significant strides in improving international membership by providing financial support for historically underserved populations to attend AASP conferences, covering expenses for keynote speakers at regional conferences and selected presenters, and enhancing the pipeline for international applicants to leadership positions.

Our recent growth is evidenced by our commitment to strengthening global connections through collaboration with international groups and experts. In 2023, we collaborated with the AASP International Olympic Sport Psychology Special Interest Group and experts from the UK and Norway on The Great British Gold Medalists Research Project: Implications for Applied Practice, in preparation for the Paris Olympics; in 2024, we hosted an International Symposium and invited practitioners from Jamaica, Uganda and Romania to share their knowledge on the topic Preparing National Teams for the World Stage: A Global Perspective. Additionally, we have implemented action plans to attract international graduate students to the AASP membership, such as working closely with the AASP Web Presence Committee and Leadership Academy to improve our presence on the Association’s social media platforms. These initiatives are communicated through our biannual newsletters, international symposiums, AASP regional conferences, AASP social media platforms, and in the past three International Jamborees hosted at our annual AASP conferences. All of these involved developing relationships with sport psychology experts outside North America to foster collaboration and promote our profession on a global scale.

It has been my absolute honor and privilege to have led such an incredible committee. Together, we have helped expand AASP’s global reach and made sport psychology more inclusive for all. As I prepare to pass the baton to the next chair, Barbora Kijasova from the Czech Republic, I am confident that she will continue to make a meaningful impact.