an olympics to remember

It’s safe to say the 2021 Tokyo Olympics have been unique in more ways than one. On top of the usual safety protocols involved in global sporting events, organisers have had to navigate COVID-19 restrictions. Athletes competing in stadiums without spectators, wearing masks in the venues, socially distancing in interviews with the media and placing their own medals around their necks in the ceremonies have made this unlike all prior Olympic Games.

However, one of the most compelling and refreshing contrasts was the comradery and honesty displayed by athletes. This has been particularly pertinent in relation to mental health.

It started in the months before the Olympics even began, when Naomi Osaka, tennis super star, skipped Wimbledon and withdrew from the French Open due to her mental health struggles. This happened after she was fined $15,000 AND threatened with suspension after avoiding the media in Paris. She went on to release an essay in Time Magazine, revealing that she often had ‘huge waves of anxiety’ before press interviews and even went on to outline possible measures and solutions for elite professional athletes. She said press conferences are ‘outdated’ and in ‘need of a refresh’, and that steps should be taken to ‘protect athletes, especially the fragile ones’. She also said: ‘Perhaps we should give athletes the right to take a mental break from media scrutiny on a rare occasion without being subject to strict sanctions.’

Her defiance and courage have led somewhat to an epiphany in the world of elite sport. It was certainly the first time I had ever known an athlete to speak so publicly about depression and anxiety. I have no doubt she has inspired athletes and non-athletes alike to not only address their mental health, but to also have the bravery to speak openly, and acknowledge it as a genuine illness.

Her hopes of a gold medal at the Olympics were dashed quite suddenly, and she admitted after her last tennis game she ‘felt a lot of pressure’. And it’s no wonder! Considering she’s coming out of a long break, the difficult year, not to mention preparing for her first ever Olympic Games. Add to that the additional pressure of being among the most famous of the host country’s stars. (We can never forget the experience of Cathy Freeman at the Sydney Olympics in 2000). According to Osaka, it was ‘the best I could have done in this situation’, and that is all we should be asking of an anyone, elite athlete or not.