The problem of stress is currently one of the most relevant in sports psychology. Therefore, the "value" of the athlete is largely determined by his tolerance to stress. The purpose of the work is to identify specific ways of overcoming stress by athletes in competitive sports activities. The individual psychological characteristics of athletes depend on the specific content of a particular sport, on the specifics of competitive activities that exist in any sport. In order to overcome stress in sports practice, psychological support is used for the athlete, i.e., the activity of a psychologist aimed at improving or updating mental properties, processes and conditions to increase the effectiveness of the training process, prepare for competitions and performances in them. The psychological support of athletes to overcome stress consists of measures of psychodiagnostics, psychoprophylaxis and psychoregulation. Thus, the use of various means, methods and techniques of psychological preparation, based on the individual psychosomatic and personality characteristics of athletes, the specifics of their competitive activity and the prevailing stress factors of internal and external nature, contributes to the formation of the necessary personality traits responsible for successfully overcoming stress in sports competitive activity.