Although it is spoken a little more openly, it is still a taboo subject.
A year following gymnastics star Simone Biles’ problems at the Tokyo Olympics, even stopping in the middle of competition to preserve her physical and mental health, the psychological difficulties of high-level athletes are becoming more and more consider.
Recently, former French soccer player Thierry Henry, world champion in 1998, spoke in the pages of the newspaper L’Équipe regarding how the issue was considered in his time as a player: «Crying was impossible. You mightn’t show your weaknesses. He told me, ‘Thierry don’t cry, don’t cry, don’t cry’. He happened to me to cry alone, but he fought not to sink. Now I really cry », said Henry, who following his retirement continued to be linked to football as a coach and television commentator.
For Greg Décamps, researcher in sports psychology at the University of Bordeaux, the difficulties in talking regarding the subject are explained by the fact that “the sports environment continues to be a place where excellence, strength, to manhood, and where every sign of weakness is going to be totally outlawed.
Added to this is that in disciplines such as soccer, “with huge financial implications”, except for “physical injuries” that cannot be concealed, the rest becomes almost “secret defense”, he tells AFP.
sources of stress
Despite these obstacles, the consideration of the psychological dimension advances step by step.
In 2021, in addition to the case of Simone Biles, that of the tennis player Naomi Osaka at Roland Garros was impacted.
The Japanese player explained that she went through “long periods of depression” and episodes of “social anxiety”. She dropped out of the French tournament under pressure, opting not to have media exposure at the time.
In the United States, the women’s soccer championship (Nwsl) included a “six-month mental health leave” in its collective agreement last February.
“The girls who tear their anterior cruciate ligament continue to receive their salary even if they are away from the field of play for months. Why treat mental suffering differently?” asks Cari Roccaro, a player who went through “a very bad time” and who pressed for the recognition of this type of casualty.
Behind the victories there are usually great sacrifices in sport and this affects everyone to a greater or lesser extent.
“High-level athletes are much more exposed to very extreme sources of stress,” explains Greg Décamps.
The environment of high competition can “vulnerable” these athletes, although it can also teach them to “develop capacities to adapt to stressful environments,” he analyzes.
Another destabilizing aspect for many in recent years is social networks.
For Karin Moesch, a sports psychologist in Sweden, it can be a “stressful” element. Formula 1 driver Lando Norris recently spoke regarding the effect various hate messages had had on him and his relatives.
“Like an ankle injury”
Former French soccer player Vincent Gouttebarge heads a mental health working group at the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and is head of the FIFPro (professional soccer players’ union) medical service.
As an expert in both fields, he advocates treating a psychological difficulty “such as an ankle injury.”
“Everyone has to be convinced that an ankle injury is the same as an injury of a mental nature, it is not the end of the world,” he explains.
In his opinion, the statements of athletes who publicly share their problems “play a role in breaking the taboo that still exists on the subject.”
“According to the scientific data we have collected, between 20 and 35% of high-level athletes have negative feelings or thoughts related to depression or anxiety, or problems with dire eating behaviors, or even sleep,” he explains.
“The taboo is not sport-specific. Mental health is also a cultural issue. There are countries where things move more than in others. The United Kingdom, the United States, Canada or Australia are at the top », he adds.
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