Major (Head) Games: Preparing for the 2024 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games

By Dr. Carla Edwards, MD, FRCPC (Sports Psychiatrist), with contribution from Dr. Julia Wong, MD, FRCPC (Sports Psychiatrist)

Heading into the 2024 Paris Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games it is important to recognize the psychological challenges that many athletes will be facing. While a large focus will be on physical health, preparation, strength, and execution, athletes of all ages and stages of their Major Games experience will experience a variety of challenges. This article will introduce you to some of the psychological challenges that these athletes will likely encounter in the next 5 months, and guide supports that can supplement their preparation.

Case Scenario

Note: This case is a composite of details from several different clinical situations involving different athletes. Details including gender, age, and sport have been changed to anonymize the athletes.

Games #1:

[Commentator]:

“They have done the impossible! Riley has won the Olympic Gold medal for Canada! They have captured the hearts and minds of the country at just 15 years of age! An absolute phenom!”

Scenario:

Riley was a 15 year old athlete who rose quickly on the world stage in their sport, captured several World titles and set records at the age group, national, provincial, and world stages. They just beat the previous Olympic champion in a competition that thrusted them into the global spotlight for their sport. While living the Olympic dream, they still had to navigate being 15….

• High school
• Friends
• Romantic interests
• Parents

And then…

• Media interviews
• Social media
• Sponsorship deals
• Where to train next?
• Do they take a break?
• Who do they trust when people are telling them different things?

People started to treat Riley differently, and they learned quickly that life had changed forever. They were no longer like everybody else at school. People who never spoke to them before suddenly wanted to be best friends, they couldn’t attend a concert or a sporting event without somebody wanting to interview them, and there were a whole new set of expectations. They learned it was very different to be the one being chased, vs being the one doing the chasing.

Suddenly Riley’s world was defined by “quads,” and framed by Olympic years and World Championships in between. And of course the other “smaller” international events sprinkled amongst them. People were in their ear constantly about what the sport needed from them, what the NSO needed from them, and what the coach needed from them. And then there were the sponsors. And school. Friends were substituted by the training group and team, and who had time for romance? The sponsors needed appearances, their parents promised visits to the local sports clubs, and the coach was saying they were too distracted.  Riley was tired. And it was only 1 year since the Olympic Games!

Fast forward through the next 3 years

Riley grew physically since the age of 15, which required some adjustments in their technique. Over the last 3 years life was a whirlwind: a carousel of people who wanted a piece of Riley. Leading up to the next Olympic Games, Riley was no longer an unknown. The media was hot on the topic of Riley’s next Olympics, and the projections for medals had begun. Which one first? How many? How would they measure up to [the next phenom]? After all, “the country was depending on Riley to lead the way.” “Riley was a guaranteed medal.”

Training had become onerous. Riley was tired, sore, and training had not been fun for awhile. People around Riley improved, driven partly by Riley’s success, and also by their own natural development. Riley was uncomfortable with the closing gap. Their family suggested they were not working hard enough and were going to disappoint a lot of people. They said they were spending a lot of money on Riley’s training and were not seeing the results they wanted. The coach told Riley they were “pudgy,”  “too chunky to be good anymore,” and “too distracted by all of the attention.” Some headlines suggested Riley was too old. Riley was 19!

Leading into their 2^nd Olympic Games, Riley was saddled with many thoughts, including:

• I’m no good anymore
• I’m going to disappoint the whole country if I don’t win
• Since I won Gold at the last Olympics, everyone expects me to win again
• If I don’t win again, I’m nothing
• I’m too fat to win
• What do I do if I don’t win?!
• Who am I if I don’t win?

Riley had none of these thoughts before the last Games.

Games #2:

[Commentator]:

“Riley just came up short today. That must be a huge disappointment for Riley, and for the Canadian contingent who had been counting on another spectacular performance from this young athlete. A very big disappointment. A great performance from another Canadian today however, as Casey pulled out a solid performance and blew everyone away! Looks like Canada has a new favorite in these Olympic Games!”

One can imagine the pressure that would have been felt by Riley, followed by the disappointment after the performance. (And perhaps the cycle begins for Casey).

Sport Changes Lives

Athletes train to compete and achieve victory. The life-changing outcomes of unanticipated success are often not prepared for and can have immense impacts on a young athlete’s life. Success also changes the training environment and influences the training group, coaching staff, and interdisciplinary support team (IST). Attitudes, approaches, and expectations change. Stories like Riley’s are unfortunately not isolated and can be found affecting athletes in many sports.

There are thousands of athletes competing for spots on Canada’s Olympic and Paralympic squads that will be bound for Paris in 2024. Some will be first-timers, and some will be returning. Teams continue to try to qualify spots for the nation, and individual athletes desperately want to be selected to represent their country. We know that not everyone can be selected.

Sport Shapes Life for the Elite Athlete

Earlier in this article, Riley was introduced to the “quad” framework for their life. Countless athletes follow this same framework in their approach to their lives: planning school and family around the quads. The postponement of the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympic Games created many challenges for athletes who had planned major life transitions to follow the Games in 2020. Lives and relationships are quite literally put on hold as the athletes dedicate everything they have to qualifying for the Games. This is compounded by interpersonal challenges within the team or with the coaching staff.

Imagine the devastation that is created by:

• Deselection
• Illness
• Injury
• Maltreatment (harassment, abuse, neglect)
• Mental illness (including depression, eating disorders, anxiety, bipolar disorder, substance use disorder)
• Significant life adversity (including losses, relationships challenges, financial hardship, family illnesses)
• Replacement (the concept of an athlete feeling or being “replaced” by the next young, talented phenom in their sport, and causing them to be forgotten or sidelined)

Para athletes face additional challenges, including classification, equipment, supports, stigma, and access to appropriate training facilities and staff.

Elite athletes have incredible talent, but they are ultimately human beings who face a tremendous amount of pressure and adversity to perform in their sport. At the Tokyo Games I heard a coach quote Billie Jean King to an athlete: “pressure is a privilege.” While I acknowledge that to compete at a high level where pressure is experienced is a privilege, those of us who support athletes must understand and appreciate the profound impact that the constellation of exceptional pressures have on the individual as a human being. Sport and success change the athletes’ lives forever. It is imperative to see beyond the performance to fully understand the global impact of the athlete lifestyle and identity on the person. Any athlete who has not qualified individually for the Games yet will be feeling an immense amount of pressure until their place is solidified. Athletes who are not selected, are deselected, or who experience injury in the months leading up to the Games will likely experience great disappointment and devastation. Most funding for athletes bound for the Games is allocated to those who are selected. These is little support for those who do not make the cut; however one could argue that those may be the ones who need it the most.

What can we do?

Elite athletes cannot perform without their bodies. They also cannot optimally perform without good mental health. We can anticipate that the athletes will be experiencing many of the elements described in this article. With this in mind, approaching each athlete with attention to the various psychological stressors they will be facing, including exploration, validation, and support, can truly make a difference in that athlete’s life. Whether they make the team, compete at the Games, or finish on the podium, messages delivered in key interactions leading up to the Games can make a profound difference on the person’s life. Separating worth from performance, and identity from athletic role are essential foundational elements for long term health and wellbeing for every athlete.

Take away points:

• Athletes of all ages and stages of their Major Games experience will experience a variety of psychological challenges leading up to the 2024 Paris Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games.
• Having an awareness of these challenges can help guide the supports for athletes leading up to the Games.
• Every athlete who competes at a Games will have a unique experience: a small number will have a positive experience and a larger number may have a disappointing experience. We need to provide support for both.
• The life-changing outcomes of unanticipated success are often not prepared for and can have immense impacts on a young athlete’s life.
• Elite athletes (and hopefuls) shape their lives to the Olympic and Paralympic quad framework.
• We must understand and appreciate the profound impact that the constellation of exceptional pressures have on the individual athletes as human beings.
• Approaching each athlete with attention to the various psychological stressors they will be facing, including exploration, validation, and support, can truly make a difference in that athlete’s life.
• Separating worth from performance, and identity from athletic role are essential foundational elements for long term health and wellbeing for every athlete.

Go Canada, Go!

Dr. Carla Edwards has a private practice in Sports Psychiatry in Ontario and supports athletes of all ages and from all sports. She is the President of the International Society for Sports Psychiatry and is on the Board of Directors for CASEM.