This postgraduate study helps to explore the problems in Lithuania of sportsmen’ career, the reasons of their termination, social adaptation and integration in the fluctuation of life, the difficulties which sportsmen have had after the termination of career and which have had the influence on the quality of the succeeding years. Purpose of this work – to estimate the reasons of termination of sportsmen’ career and the sense of sporting identification for the former sportsmen peculiarities of adaptation to the fluctuations of life. In this research was taken the questionnaire, in which participants were 52 Lithuanian sportsmen after 25 years age, which have major skills. The results have shown that the career of sportsmen is often determined for the health, psychological distress, an age, a change of pursuit, and other not so important reasons. The sportsmen, had terminated the active practice of sport, must to adapt and integrate to the fluctuation of life, therefore they generally pass trough the mill. The set identification of sport helps to get out of difficulties, makes an influence on the formation of acceptable values and the selection of professional career, which is determined the quality of life. Keywords: career of sport, career of sportsman, identification of sport, social adaptation.

Sports career (SC) is a term for the multiyear sports activities of the individual aimed at high sport achievements and self-improvement in sport. The analytical model of sports career considers it as a multiyear process certain stages and transitions. SC were identified: 1) the beginning of sport specialisation; 2) the transition to intensive training in the chosen kind of sport; 3) the transition to high achievement and adult sports; 4) the transition from the culmination to the end of SC and transition to the other professional career. Athletes have to solve „transitional problems“ in order to continue the SC successfully on the next stage. A failure in solving transitional problems leads to a crisis. The research showed that the most influence to choose the main kind of sport had the coach (95%). In the intensive training in the chosen kind of sport all respondents had the aim, after trainings felt tired (75%) and even 89% of respondents complained of injuries. Most of athletes (74%) noted that sometimes needed psychological support in competitions. Mostly in high achievement and adult sports (55%) changed the coach and every fifth athlete not always successfully collaborated with him, and also came into conflict with other members of the group (28%). In this stage was difficult to adjust sport activity and studies, sport activity and leisure, and also sport activity and job. Most coaches pointed that too early finished trainings by these reasons: difficult to adust... [to full text]