Objective. To identify key aspects of mental training of highly skilled athletes - members of national teams at the stage of their preparation for the Olympic Games with account for world experience.
Methods. Analysis of modern scientific and methodological literature, experience of sports psychologists, Internet.
Results. The following main tendencies of work of sports psychologists with the Olympic athletes in most countries of the world are revealed: an increase in the number of psychologists who provide psychological support for training of the Olympic athletes and their performances at the Olympic Games; conditionality of success of psychological support of preparation, long-term cooperation of the psychologist with athletes and coaches; systematic conduct of work throughout the Olympic cycle; attention to improving the quality of psychological assistance to athletes by systematically improving the skills of sports psychologists and ensuring the coordination of the work of psychologists and sports organizations that prepare athletes for the Olympic Games; activation and expansion of the problems of scientific researches necessary for qualitative solution of mental problems of the Olympic athletes. The most relevant areas of studies are the most complete detection of psychological conditions of athletes’ efficiency; research of environmental factors of success of athletes' activity, prerequisites of resistance to stress of sports teams, group emotions, features of relationships in sports dyads. It is important to expand the use of athletes in psychological research, together with quantitative methods.
Conclusion. Planning psychological support is based on the principles of individualization, taking into account the specificity of sports event, as well as the impact on athletes of various environmental factors, both related and unrelated to sports activities.