In recent years more and more professional sports women and men have spoken publicly about their mental health; as we discussed on the Pathfinder West Sussex website earlier this year (read it here).
But the Olympics has brought the issue even more into the spotlight. For participants, the postponement of the Games, living through the pandemic, and being away from home without the usual support networks have only added to the stress. Athletes train for years to qualify and compete, often with a single opportunity to perform well.
The withdrawal of Simone Biles, the leading US gymnast, quoting mental health concerns is possibly the highest profile of cases so far in this Olympics. But she is not the only one. Lisa Cambage, Australia's star basketball player, decided not to attend the Tokyo Games to protect her mental health. And US shotputter Raven Saunders has spoken recently of how she wanted to take her life in 2018, less than two years after competing in Rio.
The British Olympic Association (BOA) has been well aware of the additional strains the pandemic has put on Team GB athletes. As a result, it put together a team of mental health specialists to monitor British athletes in Tokyo.
Speaking to Mens Health magazine a BOA representative said, "We already took mental health very seriously but we recognise such issues have never been more acute in everyday life. This mental health team is part of our preparation for what will be a very different Olympic Games.”
Further reading:
