Mental Health in the Olympics

After being postponed a year, the Olympics are back! However, some things have gotten off to a rocky start. This year more and more athletes have been opening up about their mental health struggles. From anxiety to coping with depression, these athletes are no exception to mental health issues.

One of the world’s world’s most decorated gymnasts, Simone Biles, pulled out of the competition to focus on her mental health. She’d been suffering from a mental performance issue called “the twisties.” The twisties are a phenomenon where gymnasts get severely disoriented. Something causes the athletes to lose awareness in the middle of a performance. Biles said that “Physical health is mental health.” She had to take care of both in order to succeed.

Other athletes responded to Biles taking care of herself with lots of support. Michael Phelps, 23-time gold medalist, said that it “broke [his] heart” to hear of Simone Biles’ struggles. In the past, Phelps opened up about his experiences with depression. After the 2012 Olympics, he thought about taking his own life. “We’re human beings. Nobody is perfect. So yes, it is OK not to be OK,” Phelps explained. The weight these Olympians have to shoulder is a lot to take.

Sha’Carri Richardson is another athlete that has been making headlines. She was suspended from the Olympic track team because of marijuana use. Richardson wasn’t able to cope with the loss of her mother and turned to drugs as a result. She had to “put on a face and...hide {her} pain,” Every public figure deals with this problem. We assume they are perfect, and this forces them to hide their imperfections and struggles. Sha’Carri Richardson might have another chance to compete in the future. However, Richardson said “Right now, I’m just putting all of my time and energy into dealing with what I need to do, which is heal myself,”

Anxiety has also caused multiple athletes to drop out. Australian WNBA player, Liz Cambage, also pulled out a week before the opening. She was experiencing anxiety because of the COVID bubble she would be forced to live in. This year, athletes weren’t allowed to come to Tokyo with family and friends. Without the support of loved ones, many struggled even more. Liz wrote on social media, “Relying on daily medication to control my anxiety is not the place I want to be right now.”

Naomi Osaka, a famous tennis player, withdrew from the French Open. She had anxiety about the press and speaking to the media. She skipped one press conference in her seven years of being a tennis player but was still fined $15,000. Osaka believes that players should be allowed to skip some conferences without getting public about their reasons. It's a rule that many others have shown support for.

Being an athlete takes a tremendous amount of physical effort, but it is also a mental battle. If your mind and body aren’t in sync, it could lead to very dangerous situations. It is important for us to realize that even world-famous athletes deal with the same problems. Whatever you are facing, know that you are not alone. “There are people who can help, and there is usually light at the end of any tunnel," said Naomi Osaka.

After taking time off, Simone Biles was still able to win bronze on the balance beam this year. In 2012, Michael Phelps won 6 medals while suffering from depression. Both of them were able to overcome the obstacles they faced, and now they are teaching the world that it is okay to put yourself first.