The Paris 2024 Olympic Games renewed attention to the psychological and social challenges athletes face beyond competition, where constant evaluation by the media, sporting organisations, and the public contributes to stigma and reduced well-being. This study examined the relationships among perceived stigma, social adaptability, and subjective well-being in elite athletes, as well as the mediating role of active coping strategies. A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 398 Chinese national-level athletes. Structural equation modelling revealed that perceived stigma was significantly and negatively associated with both social adaptability and subjective well-being. Athletes experiencing greater stigma demonstrated lower levels of social adjustment and psychological well-being. Active coping strategies, including positive self-reflection, emotional regulation, and support-seeking, significantly mediated these relationships. The indirect effects of stigma through active coping were significant for social adaptability and subjective well-being, indicating that adaptive coping partially buffered the detrimental effects of stigma. These findings suggest that the influence of stigma depends partly on athletes’ psychological coping resources. The results underscore the critical importance of integrating coping skills training into athlete development programmes to enhance resilience, promote social functioning, and protect mental well-being. Coaches and sport psychologists should prioritise interventions that strengthen adaptive coping and mitigate the impact of stigma. Although limited by its cross-sectional design and self-reported measures, this study clarifies the mechanisms linking stigma to athlete outcomes and provides a solid foundation for future research.