Inhibition is the key factor of attentional control (AC). Basketball players are typically exposed to noise from the audience or opposing teams while competing. These distractions disrupt the attentional systems, ultimately compromise the athletes’ inhibition ability and directly affect their performance on the court. Hence, effective AC strategies are crucial. Two studies were demonstrated to investigate the effects of noise distractions on attentional control and the moderating effect of self-talk. In Study 1, 36 participants undertook the Stroop task, showing an increased error rate with noise distraction. Thirty-nine national second-level basketball players participated in Study 2, where they engaged in the Antisaccade task under both quiet and noise-distraction conditions, employing different self-talk strategies. Results showed that instructional self-talk reduced the antisaccade error rate in quiet conditions, while motivational self-talk increased the error rate under noise distractions. These findings suggests that noise distraction reduces AC. In competition scenarios, basketball players are required to appropriately implement self-talk strategies to improve AC and prevent potential counterproductive effects.

The present study aimed to examine attentional biases’ components and processes toward the interpersonal evaluation information among athletes after state thwarting need for relatedness. 51 athletes completed a visual dot-probe task while their eye-movements were tracking. Results indicated athletes showed different attentional bias pattern. Acceptance information is early orientation (directional bias); early acceleration detection; sustained to late attention maintenance (difficulty in disengaging). Rejection information is early orientation (directional bias); early accelerated detection; continuous attention to maintenance (attention avoidance); late attention to maintenance (difficulty in disengaging). That is to say, they had motivation to seek acceptance toward the accepted interpersonal evaluation information and to avoid rejection information toward the rejected one. Therefore, it is suggested that the coaches provide more interpersonal communicating opportunities, so as to help them to restore their demands toward interpersonal communication, and provide the customized attentional bias trainings to improve their coping response after state thwarted need for relatedness.

In modern basketball, the three-point shot plays an important tactical role. Basketball players often face the distraction from audience and opponents, necessitating psychological skill to maintain their performance. The study examined the effects of self-talk interventions on the three-point shot performance under quiet and noisy conditions. It involved 42 national second-level basketball players and used a 2 (Condition: quiet condition, noisy condition) × 3 (Intervention: control group, motivational self-talk, instructional self-talk) mixed design to investigate the performance of the static and dynamic three-point shots tasks. The results revealed that the static three-point shot score was significantly lower in noisy condition compared to quiet condition (p = 0.016), while the main effect of Intervention and the interaction effect of Condition × Intervention were not significant. Post-hoc analysis indicated that only the control group showed significantly lower scores in the noisy condition (p = 0.043). For the dynamic three-point shots performance, there were no significant main effects of Intervention or Condition, nor any significant interaction effect between Condition and Intervention. In conclusion, noise distraction negatively affects the static three-point shots task, and although self-talk interventions can mitigate such negative effects, their effectiveness is limited for dynamic three-point shots task with high physical demands.

Previous researchers have found that head-down bed rest (HDBR) will affect the emotional state of individuals, and negative emotions such as anxiety are closely related to attention bias. The present study adopted the dot-probe task to evaluate the effects of 15-days of −6° HDBR on the attention bias of threatening stimulus in 17 young men, which was completed before (Pre-HDBR), during (HDBR-1, HDBR-8, HDBR-15), after (Post-HDBR) the bed rest. In addition, self-report inventories (State Anxiety Inventory, SAI; Positive Affect and Negative Affect Scale, PANAS) were conducted to record emotional changes. The results showed that the participants’ negative affect scores on HDBR-8 were significantly lower than the HDBR-1 in PANAS while there was no significant difference on positive affect scores and anxiety scores in SAI. And the results showed that at the Pre-HDBR, HDBT-1, HDBR-15, Post-HDBR, the response speed to threatening stimulus was faster than neutral stimulus, but no statistical significance. However, reaction time of threatening stimulus is significantly longer than neutral stimulus in the HDBR-8, indicating that HDBR may have an effect on the participants’ attention bias, and this effect is manifested as attention avoidance.

Nowadays, the Olympic Games (OG) are faced with escalating complications and gigantism that frustrate the motivation of potential Olympic bidders, therefore obstructing the sustainable development of the Olympic Movement. The IOC has made numerous efforts to solve the problems, which include easing the pressure on OG hosts (including candidates) in an attempt to regain public trust and justify the delivery of the OG. Relevant countermeasures have been adopted and highlighted in the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 (Beijing 2022). This study first examined the governance model proposed by the IOC, which consists of diversified stakeholders and different guiding documents. Then a typology of measures to reduce the pressure on Olympic hosts was developed, and four significant initiatives taken by different actors were identified, namely reducing economic costs and increasing financial support, setting up subsidiaries and outsourcing services, signing official partners to share the workload, and transferring organising knowledge. To be more clear, the case of Beijing 2022 was analysed to illustrate the measures proposed by the IOC. Additionally, suggestions were made to the IOC and future hosts in their preparations for the OG. The current study could add to the literature by inspiring future candidates/hosts to draw on the IOC’s policy and to have a better understanding of the successful delivery of the OG.