Three years after gymnastics superstar Simone Biles made athletes’ mental health a central focus at the Tokyo Olympics, this year’s Paris Games will demonstrate how increased awareness can translate into better care and support.
Biles famously withdrew from most of the competition midway through the Tokyo Olympics after struggling with mental problems and “twisties,” a form of mid-air disorientation known to affect some gymnasts.
Ahead of the Paris 2024 Games opening on July 26, local organisers, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and international sports federations have stressed that lessons have been learned.
“Seventy per cent of Olympians will only experience one Olympic Games and we want to ensure this is the best experience possible for them,” Kirsty Burrows, the IOC’s head of SafeSport, told AFP.
For the first time in Olympic history, athletes in Paris will have access to a “mindfulness and relaxation area” called the 365 Athlete365 Mind Zone, located above the main gym in the Olympic Village.
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Participants will be provided with virtual reality headsets for meditation, sleep pods and even art activities in a low-light environment designed to be soothing and tranquil.
“It’s going to have a very Zen feel, like a futuristic spa,” Burrows added.
The Village will also feature alcohol-free bars and social areas to help athletes relax, as well as guides on how to avoid excessive screen time and maintain good mental health.
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“Just as an athlete wouldn’t want to stuff themselves with burgers and snacks before competing, it’s also not a good idea to binge watch TikTok or Instagram and stuff yourself with videos from social media,” Paris 2024 health coordinator Laurent Dallard told reporters in March.
All Olympic and Paralympic athletes will also have access to mental health helplines in 70 languages.
Burrows said around 90 national sports teams would bring in their own mental health welfare officers, taking advantage of a new type of competition accreditation system available from the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.
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Experts say studies have shown that elite athletes suffer from mental illness at roughly the same rates as the general population.
But Dallal stressed that they “face complex lives and intense pressures that make them more vulnerable to conditions such as anxiety and depression”.
According to Marion Leboyer, a psychiatrist and founder of the French research foundation FondaMental, “around one in three athletes experiences symptoms of a mental health problem.”
It has long been a taboo subject, but thanks to confessions from stars such as Biles, Japanese tennis player Naomi Osaka and Australian swimmer Ian Thorpe, many are now opening up about their struggles.
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It has even seeped into lesser known sports.
Slovenian rock climbing champion Janja Garnbret, who won gold at the Tokyo Olympics, has denounced the problem of anorexia in the climbing world, where a lighter weight gives you an advantage.
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“Do we want to raise the next generation of skeletons? With brittle hair, expressionless faces, pretending to everyone that everything is okay but is it really okay?” she asked in an Instagram post last July.
Under pressure, the International Climbing Federation announced it would conduct medical tests on competitors to identify climbers at risk.
Recently, in host country France, multiple gold medallist Marie-Josée Perec detailed her shock decision to withdraw from the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
“Everybody knew something was wrong, but nobody understood,” the player told the Tribune.
Her resignation drew little sympathy in Australia, with one national newspaper calling her “Mademoiselle La Chique” on its front page.
Paris 2024 will also take efforts to combat cyber harassment and bullying to a new level with the help of AI.
“I’m really pleased that they’ve addressed the cybersecurity issues around social media and athletes being trolled,” Alan Currie, a British psychiatrist who advises the IOC, told AFP. “It’s a really pressure-filled issue for athletes so it’s a big step forward.”
The IOC, following the lead of FIFA, World Rugby and several Premier League soccer clubs, has partnered with London-based data company Signify.ai to help filter out inappropriate posts from the billions expected to be generated during the Games.
Signify uses artificial intelligence to monitor messages addressed to athletes in 35 languages on platforms such as Facebook, TikTok and X (formerly Twitter) to flag potential harassment or threats.
“Anything that violates criminal laws will be referred to law enforcement,” Burrows said.
The service will be offered to all 15,000 athletes competing in the Olympic and Paralympic Games and will be opt-in.
