WHAT IF SOME OF SPORT'S GREATEST TALENT IS STILL HIDDEN?

How neurodivergent is elite sport?

Neurodivergence may already have a significant presence across competitive sport, even if we have yet to fully recognise its scale.

For years, sport has focused on identifying physical talent (speed, strength, coordination and endurance).

But performance is also deeply cognitive. Athletes constantly process information, anticipate movement, regulate attention, adapt to rapidly changing situations and make decisions under pressure.

Could some neurodivergent cognitive profiles be particularly well suited to these environments?

The science is beginning to ask the same question.

Research published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine estimates ADHD at approximately 7–8% among student and elite athletes, with prevalence potentially varying considerably depending on the sport, age and population studied.

More recently, a neurodiversity research initiative involving approximately 700 professional and academy football players reported that around 25% showed or reported neurodivergent traits, while only around 5% had a formal diagnosis.

That difference raises an important question:

How much neurodivergence in sport remains unidentified?

And ADHD is only part of the picture.

Autism, dyslexia and other neurodivergent profiles remain significantly less researched in professional sport. A 2023 systematic scoping review published in BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine found that the scientific literature on neurodiversity in elite sport remains remarkably limited, with much of the existing research concentrated on ADHD.

The International Olympic Committee's 2026 consensus statement also recognises ADHD as an important consideration within elite sport and highlights the continuing need for better athlete-specific evidence.

This means we still cannot establish a scientifically validated global percentage of professional athletes who are neurodivergent.

AND THAT IS PERHAPS THE MOST INTERESTING FINDING.

Because elite sport demands precisely some of the cognitive abilities that may appear strongly in certain neurodivergent profiles:

rapid information processing, intense task engagement, adaptability, visual awareness, creativity, anticipation and decision-making under pressure.

This does not mean that neurodivergence automatically creates sporting advantage.

Nor does it mean that every neurodivergent athlete shares these strengths.

It means something far more interesting: we may not yet fully understand which minds thrive in which sporting environments or how much talent remains hidden because we have never systematically looked for it.

Understanding this relationship could influence how sport identifies talent, trains athletes, supports coaches and creates environments in which different cognitive profiles can perform at their best.

Perhaps the next frontier in performance is not simply about making athletes stronger or faster.

It is about understanding how differently their brains may work — and what those differences could make possible.

SOURCES & FURTHER READING

Han DH et al. (2019)Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in Elite Athletes.British Journal of Sports Medicine, 53(12), 741–745.

Hoare E et al. (2023)Neurodiversity in Elite Sport: A Systematic Scoping Review.BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine.

International Olympic Committee (2026)IOC Consensus Statement on Mental Health in Elite Athletes.

Professional Footballers' Association / Professional Players Federation (2025)Neurodiversity research involving approximately 700 professional and academy football players.

Research into neurodiversity in elite sport remains limited. Prevalence varies according to sport, population, diagnostic criteria and methodology. The figures presented here should therefore not be interpreted as establishing the global prevalence of neurodivergence among professional athletes.

At MySENFamily, we believe understanding these differences is the first step toward discovering the talent we may not yet know how to see.