For the first time, Paris Olympic Village will have a “mindfulness area” for athletes

Paris:

Three years after gymnastics superstar Simone Biles put athletes’ mental health front and center at the Tokyo Olympics, this year’s Paris Olympics will demonstrate how greater awareness has translated into better care and support.

Biles withdrew from most of her events in Tokyo midway through the Games after struggling with mental health issues and “twisting” – a disorienting feeling in the air that affects some gymnasts.

In the run-up to the start of Paris 2024 on July 26, local organizers, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and international sports federations were keen to highlight that lessons had been learned.

“Seventy percent of Olympic athletes only have one Olympic experience. We want to try and make sure this is the best experience they could have,” IOC Safe Sport head Kirsty Burrows told AFP.

For the first time at an Olympics, competitors in Paris will have access to a “mindfulness and relaxation area” above the village’s main gym called the “365 Athlete365 Mind Zone”.

Contestants will receive virtual reality headsets for meditation, sleep pods and even art activities, all in a dimly lit environment designed to be relaxing and quiet.

“It will be very zen, like a futuristic spa,” Burrows added.

Still in the village, athletes will have an alcohol-free bar and social areas to relax, as well as guides on how to maintain good mental hygiene and avoid spending too much time in front of screens.

“In the same way that no athlete would think of filling up on burgers and sweets before a competition, it is not a good idea to fill up on videos on social media by watching TikTok or Instagram,” Paris 2024 health coordinator Laurent Dalard told reporters. reporters in Marchar.

A mental health helpline in 70 languages ​​will also be available to all Olympic and Paralympic athletes.

About 90 national sports teams will bring their own mental wellness workers, using a new type of Games accreditation that has only been available since the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, Burrows said.

Breaking taboos

Research suggests that elite sportspeople suffer from mental health disorders at the same rates as the general population, experts say.

But Dalard stressed that they were “more vulnerable to situations such as anxiety disorders or depression, given their complicated lives and the intense pressure they face”.

According to Marion Leboyer, psychiatrist and founder of FondaMental, a French research foundation, “around one in three athletes shows symptoms of a mental health problem.”

Long a taboo subject, many of them are now opening up about their struggles thanks to revelations from stars like Biles, Japanese tennis player Naomi Osaka or Australian swimmer Ian Thorpe.

This has spread to lesser-known sports.

Slovenian champion climber Janja Garnbret, who won gold at the Tokyo Olympics, has denounced the problem of anorexia in the climbing community, where being light is an advantage.

“Do we want to create the next generation of skeletons? Brittle hair, dull expressions, trying to show everyone you’re fine, but are you really?” she asked in an Instagram post last July.

Under pressure, the International Climbing Federation announced health screenings for competitors to help identify at-risk climbers.

More recently, in host country France, multi-gold medalist Marie-Jose Perec revealed more about her surprising decision to withdraw from the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

“Everyone could see that things weren’t right, but no one understood,” the sprinter told the Tribune newspaper.

Her departure attracted little sympathy in Australia, where a national newspaper dubbed her “Mademoiselle la chicken” on its front page.

Trolls, beware

Paris 2024 will also see efforts to combat cyber harassment and bullying taken to new levels powered by AI.

“I am very pleased with the issue of cybersecurity around social media and athletes being controlled,” Alan Currie, a British psychiatrist who advises the IOC, told AFP. “It’s a big step forward because it’s a real pressure point for athletes.”

Following the example of FIFA, World Rugby and some Premier League football clubs, the IOC will team up with London-based data firm Signify.ai to eliminate abusive posts among the billions expected during the Games.

Signify uses artificial intelligence to monitor messages addressed to athletes on platforms such as Facebook, TikTok or X (formerly Twitter) in 35 languages, signaling possible harassment or threats.

“Anything that violates the penal code will be sent to the authorities,” Burrows said.

All 15,000 athletes at the Olympics and Paralympics will have the service offered, which will be optional.

(Except the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)