General term for a person who participates in a sport or competition, from professional athletes to school club members.
He is a professional soccer player.
My dream is to become an Olympic athlete.
He competed in the tournament as a player representing Japan.
She participated in the Olympics as an athlete.
This coach has trained many excellent athletes.
He was delighted to be chosen as a representative player.
That player will retire at the end of this season.
regular player; first-string player
team; squad; delegation