In Paris, the Olympics make space for mental health too.

The Paris 2024 Olympics will feature a new mental health zone for athletes. Located in the Athletes Village, this space aims to support athletes’ well-being alongside their physical training.

Mental health is not just a concept in the world today. It’s a Right.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO, 1948), “Mental health is a state of mental well-being that enables people to cope with the stresses of life, realize their abilities, learn well and work well, and contribute to their community. It is an integral component of health and well-being that underpins our individual and collective abilities to make decisions, build relationships and shape the world we live in.” And it is crucial to personal, community and socio-economic development. 

For the first time in the history of the Games, a mental health zone is set up for the athletes participating in the Olympics’ 2024 – known as the Athlete365 Mind Zone.

Paris: “Located on the first floor of the fitness centre inside the Athletes Village rests a first-of-its-kind room. Somewhat symbolically, it blends with the area where elite athletes work tirelessly on the physicality that their sport demands. At the Paris Olympics, there’s a separate space for the mind too” (:- Hindustan Times)

The news in brief:

1. Staffed with trained officials to cater to the mental health needs of the athletes, which could range from psychological concerns to practising mindfulness. For sportspersons looking for an escape from the limelight, this zone serves as best.
2. The set-up is made appropriate with low lighting, and noise cancellations, with areas for VR guided meditation, sleeping pods, yoga, and an art spot to paint and write down thoughts. The area is effectively supported with instruments to take care of the emotional wellbeing of the athlete, by boosting their patience and coping ability. 
3. Nevertheless, it is not the first endeavour by the International Olympic Committee – which had set up a 24/7 helpline with mental health counsellors in over 70 languages at the 2022 Beijing Winter Games, to balance the bridge between perceptions towards mental and physical health by athletes. 

As mentioned above, mental health is the right of any and every individual, irrespective of their status, gender or background. However, we, as netizens or supporters are often seen breaching that boundary of “do’s and don’ts” for our idols and biases. 

In our minds, sportspersons and athletes tend to assume a rough and tough figure, with a heroic aura. They are the celebrity figures who shoulder the responsibility to protect the pride of their respective nations, through their sportsmanship, honesty, dedication, hard work, sincerity, and loyalty in competition with the world’s athletes on national or international platforms.

The sports organizations as well as the different clubs need to acknowledge the importance of the mental well-being of their pride bearers so that their resilience, stress management, ability to handle fame, work-life balance and hence, overall personal growth are enhanced. One of the key concerns that impact the mental health of athletes is the ability to deal with failures. Losing a competition is not just failing a number, but being a victim of unreasonable trolling, criticisms, scapegoating and hatred from a mass of people.

It becomes an established need for such public figures to conduct themselves in a way that would help them pass public scrutiny. Under such circumstances, it becomes difficult for athletes to hold their calm and focus on their upcoming matches or practices. Thus, it can be concluded that the mental health and well-being of athletes are important to look after, not only for their success but also for enabling them to spread their wings and bring pride to their respective nations.

For this purpose, there are sports psychologists, who are specially trained in the field of Sports Psychology to deal with the diverse problems of athletes in connection to their profession and take up suitable therapeutic interventions for the same. Sports psychology in India is a relatively newer field with vast evolving prospects. People are getting to know more about the same, and thus, they are becoming receptive to the importance of mental health in the field of sports, be it on-field or off-field.