Professor of Sport Psychology Dept. of Sports & Physical Education Hedmark University College Terningen Arena, Hamarveien 112,
2411 Elverum, Norway
Stiliani Chroni, is Professor of Sport Psychology, Pedagogy & Coaching and possess extended, versatile, high-level international work experience in academia, in consulting as well as in sport and action-based organizations. She is currently the President of WomenSport International, a non-governmental, non-profit, action and issue based organization with a special consultative status for the UN. Before that she served as the WSI Secretary for a 3 year term and on its Advisory Board for 2 terms. Through her education, work, and life experiences she has developed a strong multi-cultural know-how.
She currently teaches research methods, sport and health psychology courses at the undergraduate and graduate level in Norway. She has collaborated in chapters featured in English and Greek books. She is author/co-author of research and applied articles published in various international journals, while she has presented her work in international and national conferences. She is also acting as a reviewer for international journals. Several applied day-to-day psychosocial aspects of performance spur her inquisitiveness. These include coach stress, the meaning of competitiveness, on-site coping with competitive pressure, athletes’ inner talks, and sexual harassment experiences of female athletes among others. She was trained during her doctoral studies and employed beyond that both qualitative and quantitative research methodology. She has supervised 26 master students who have completed their degree and served on 8 doctoral committees. Currently she is supervising 2 master students and serving on 3 doctoral committees. One of the doctoral students is working on a qualitative research project exploring challenges faced by female judokas in two EU countries, which has resulted already in various publications.
Regarding her expertise in gender issues and in how to bridge the gender gap in sports she has worked on multiple projects. Starting in 2004, she placed a large amount of time and effort on gender and equality issues in sport with an emphasis on female athletes’ sexual harassment experiences (doing both research and advocacy). She collaborated with Kari Fasting and the Czech Olympic Committee on a mixed methods cross-national project titled “Gender relations in sport” exploring female athlete experiences in 3 EU countries (2004-2011). She also
worked towards the development of the educational package on gender equity for Greek elementary school teachers-students, which was part of the larger educational program focusing on eliminating social inequalities in Greece, named ‘Kallipateira’ (co-funded by the EU and Hellenic Ministry of Education & Religious Affairs, 2006). For 3 years she coordinated the intradepartmental program on ‘Gender and Equity Issues’ at the University of Thessaly (funded by the 3rd EU Community Support Framework, 2005-2008). She organized the 1st International Forum on “Youth Sport with a Gender Perspective” (2008). In 2012, she was invited to participate as an expert at the “Prevention of sexualized violence in Sports – Impulses for an open, secure and sound sporting environment in Europe”, an international project awarded to the German Sports Youth Organization (German Olympic Sports Confederation) and its project scientific advisors. The project was funded by the EU Program “Preparatory Action in the field of sport”. In 2013 she was invited by the EU Commission to participate as an expert on gender based violence in sport at the EU Conference on Gender Equality in Sport (Vilnius, Lithuania). In 2014 she was invited by ICSSPE to participate as an expert on PE & sport policy on the Revision of the UNESCO International Charter on PE & Sports (Medellin, Colombia).
• Chroni, S. (2015, forthcoming). “The choice of one or a one-way choice”: Performance or welfare. In R. Bailey & M. Talbot (Eds.) The two cultures: Bridging the gap between sport-for-all and elite sport. London: Routledge.
• Kavoura, A., Chroni, S., Kokkonen, M., & Ryba, T.V (2015, forthcoming). Women fighters as agents of change: A Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu case study from Finland. In A. Channon & C.R. Matthews (Eds.) Global perspectives on women in combat sports. Houndmills, UK: Macmillan Publishers Limited.
• Kavoura, A., Ryba, T., & Chroni, S. (2015). Negotiating female judoka identities in Greece: A Foucauldian discourse analysis. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 17, 88-98
• Fasting, K., Chroni, S., & Knorre, N. (2014). The experiences of sexual harassment in sport and education among European female sports science students. Sport, Education, & Society, 19, 115-130.
• Chroni, S. & Papaefstathiou, M. (2014, July). Child protection in sport in two southern European countries: Perspectives from Greece and the Republic of Cyprus. In M. Lang & M. Hartill (Eds.) Safeguarding, child protection and abuse in sport: International perspectives in research, policy and practice. London: Routledge
• Chroni, S., Diakaki, E., & Papaioannou, A. (2013). Athletes’ careers in Greece: Towards a culturally infused future. In N. Stambulova & T. Ryba (Eds.) Athletes’ careers across cultures. London: Routledge.
• Chroni, S. (2013). Sexual harassment of female athletes. In G. Pfister & M.K. Sisjord (Eds.) Gender and Sport: Challenges and Changes. Berlin: Waxman Publishing Co.
• Adamidou, E., Zisi, B., Hassandra, M., & Chroni, S. (2013). Body Image in 13-17 Years Old Adolescents: Gender and Physical Activity Effects. Inquiries in Physical Education & Sport, 11, 65-75. [in Greek with English abstract]
• Chroni, S., Grigoriou, S., Hatzigeorgiadis, A., & Theodorakis, Y. (2013). Bystander intention to stand up for a female-peer targeted in sexual harassment in academia. Journal of Int’l Women’s Studies, 14, 184-201.
• Chroni, S., Fasting, K., Hartill, M. J., Knorre, N., Martìn Harcajo, M., Papaefstathiou, M., Rhind, D., Rulofs, B., Toftegaard Støckel, J., Vertommen, T., & Zurc. J. (2012). Sexual and gender harassment and sexual abuse: Initiatives for prevention in sport. Frankfurt, Germany: Deutsche Sportjugend im Deutschen Olympischen Sportbund e.V.
• Fasting, K., Chroni, S., Hervik, S.E., & Knorre, N. (2011). Sexual harassment in sport toward females in three European countries. International Review for the Sociology of Sport, 46, 76-89.
• Sand, T.S., Fasting, K., Chroni, S., & Knorre, N. (2011). Coaching behavior: Any consequences for the prevalence of sexual harassment? International Journal of Sport Science & Coaching, 6, 229-242.
• Chroni, S., Koskeridou, M., Hassanda, M., Goudas, M., & Theodorakis, Y. (2011). Απόψεις και γνώσεις σε θέματα ισότητας φύλων κατά τη διδασκαλία της φυσικής αγωγής [Viewpoints and education on gender equality issues when teaching physical education]. Inquiries in Physical Education & Sport, 9, 1-13. [in Greek with English abstract]
• Chroni, S. & Fasting, K. (2009). Prevalence of male sexual harassment among female sport participants in Greece. Inquiries in Physical Education & Sport, 7(3), 288-296.
• Chroni, S. (Ed.) (2008). Youth Sports with a Gender Perspective. Proceedings of the International Forum held in Trikala, Greece. Thessaloniki, GRE: Christodoulidi Publications.
• Chroni, S. & Hassandra, Μ. (2007). Φύλα και ισότητα [Gender and equity: Student’s handbook]. Athens, GRE: Olympic Education Office, Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs [in Greek]
• Chroni, S. & Hatzigeorgiadis, Α. (2007). Φύλα και ισότητα [Gender and equity: Teacher’s handbook]. Athens, GRE: Olympic Education Office, Ministry of Education and Religious [in Greek]
• Chroni, S., Kourtesopoulou, Α., & Kouli, Ο. (2007). Επακόλουθα εμπειριών σεξουαλικής παρενόχλησης σε αθλήτριες και πρόληψη στον Ελληνικό αθλητισμό [Consequences of sexual harassment experiences on female athletes and prevention in Greek sports]. Inquiries in Physical Education & Sport, 5, 283-293. [in Greek with English abstract]