Editorial: 50th anniversary of FEPSAC

Abstract

In 1969, 50 years ago, FEPSAC (European Federation of Sport Psychology) was founded in Vittel (France) during the 2nd European Congress of Sport Psychology; the first European Congress took place 1968 in Varna (Bulgaria). This year FEPSAC celebrates its 50th anniversary during the 15th European Congress of Sport and Exercise Psychology in Muenster (Germany).

The decade of the 1960s can be seen as the start of modern sport psychology worldwide, within universities, and with the establishment of international and many national sport psychological societies. For example, the ISSP (International Society of Sport Psychology) was also founded in 1965, in Rome (Italy) during the first World Congress of Sport Psychology. A few years later, specialized scientific journals belonging to scientific societies were formed. For example, in 1970, the International Journal of Sport Psychology (IJSP) was formed as an affiliated journal of the ISSP, and in 1979 the Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology (JSEP) was formed as the official publication of the North American Society for Psychology of Sport and Physical Activity (NASPSPA). Soon after, this trend was followed by the establishment of other journals, mostly in the English language, to encourage internationalization and communication within the scientific community of sport and exercise psychology.