The role of nuanced contextual factors on elite athletes’ career development and transition is relatively unknown. This study examines career development of elite athletes in Southern Africa, their psychosocial development across the phases of elite lifespan development, as well as their career transition experiences. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data from 16 retired Olympians (M age = 30 at retirement; males = 11, females = 5) from four Southern African countries and seven Olympic sports. Our findings suggest similar psychosocial stages of career development to those in the literature but culturally nuanced career development and transitions for the athletes. The school system and national sport federations play a significant role on athletes’ development. The study shows promise for context specific research and use of the social constructivist approach to explaining career transition in sport

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