Chloe Kim of the United States, who passed the Snowboard Women's Halfpipe Qualifying in 1st place at the Beijing Olympics on the 9th, was hurt by SNS after winning the gold medal at the previous Pyeongchang tournament and suffered from mental health problems. I left the competition for a while, but I'm back on the Olympic stage again.


Problems with slander and mental health of athletes on SNS, which were also issues at the Tokyo Games.


Interest is also gathering at the Beijing Olympics.

“Hate crime” through SNS

Chloe Kim, the American national team who participated in the snowboarding and women's halfpipe qualifying held on the 9th, is the top player who won the gold medal at the previous Pyeongchang tournament and has won the world championship for the second time in a row.



In the qualifying on the 9th, where she competed for the higher score of the two runs, she took the lead with a score of 87.75, including the success of the tall air in the first run. ..


In the second time, she couldn't improve her score due to a mistake in landing, but she kept the top of the qualifying with the first score and advanced to the final on the 10th.

On the other hand, after winning the gold medal at the previous tournament, he revealed to the American media that he had been away from the competition for a while due to problems of hate crime and mental health through SNS.



The issue of mental health of athletes has emerged as an issue such as Simone Biles of the United States, who is a top gymnast girl at the Tokyo Olympics last year, missing the final of the all-around, and Kim sent out at the Beijing tournament. Interest is gathering again.

Behind the scenes ...

Kim is 21 years old.

Kim, whose parents are Korean, was born and raised in California, USA, and he started snowboarding at the age of four.

In 2015, at the age of 14, he won the X Games, a tournament where the world's top professionals gathered for the first time, and at the age of 17, he won the gold medal in the women's halfpipe of the Pyeongchang Games, which was his first appearance in the Olympic Games.



However, behind her success, she confesses to the media that she has been plagued by racist and prejudiced hate crimes.

In an interview with ESPN, America's largest sports channel, at the age of 13, after finishing second in the "X Games" where the world's top professionals gathered, "


Return to China" on his SNS "


Whites on the team " Discriminatory messages such as

"Stop stealing medals from American girls in China"


have been sent, and it has been revealed that they have begun to spit in public.



She further says she is worried about her safety and does not go out alone as much as possible, carrying her self-defense stun guns and tear sprays.



For the coverage of the American magazine "Time", after winning the gold medal at the Pyonchan tournament, he began to receive therapy due to mental health problems and hoped to live as a normal young man, so he snowboarded for a while. It is revealed that he entered Princeton University in the United States away from.



She returned to competition in March 2020.


She still competed in the Beijing Olympics with the aim of winning medals for the second consecutive tournament.

Voices given by famous players

Issues related to the mental health of athletes have been highlighted in recent years, with top athletes raising issues one after another.

[Naomi Osaka (Tennis)]


At the French Open last year, we responded that we would not respond to the post-match press conference, which is the duty of the players, because the press conference did not consider the mental situation of the players. Take it and abstain from the tournament as it is.


She explained her situation, saying, "Before talking to the media around the world, I'm always hit by a big wave of anxiety."

[Simone Biles (Gymnastics / USA)]


Ace of the American representative of gymnastics girls.

She missed her personal overall final at the Tokyo Olympics "to focus on mental health issues."



These series of statements of intention by top athletes also triggered an interest in the importance of mental support for athletes.

Even in Beijing ...

Also, at the Beijing Olympics, slander on SNS has occurred.


19-year-old Zhu Yi, who participated in the figure skating group, has a noticeable hardness in her movement such as falling in the opening jump in the women's single short program in the group qualifying held on the 6th, and she is 10 Finished in 10th place in the country.

Zhu, who was born and raised in the United States under Chinese parents who emigrated to the United States, made his first appearance in the Olympic Games as a representative of China, the homeland of his parents.


The British newspaper Daily Mail said, "Zhu who abandoned American nationality to fight as a representative of China is , Being exposed to bashing in China. "



According to Reuters, Zhu shed tears after the match and said, "I was under great pressure because I knew that the Chinese were surprised that I was selected as a representative." It means that he looked back while shaking.

“How to interact with SNS”

In Japan, the Japan Sports Agency has included enhanced psychological support in its future strengthening plans, and JSC (= Japan Sports Promotion Center), which also supports athletes at the Beijing Games, has connected online with domestic support bases. We are beginning to focus on our efforts, such as receiving consultations on the mental aspects of athletes.



Yasutaka Oshio, a researcher at the National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, who is familiar with the mental health of athletes, said, "The voice of a well-known athlete has given other athletes an opportunity to think about their own mental health. Researchers have also begun to look at the state of athletes' mental health, and this issue is moving forward. "



Regarding slandering through SNS, he pointed out that "There are people who work positively and those who do not by doing SNS. For athletes, how to deal with SNS is a new issue."



On top of that, "There is a culture in which athletes should have a strong body and a strong spirit, but it gives an opportunity to think about one such thing, and everyone experiences anxiety, worries, and mental disorders. I hope it will be a gateway to a society where human resources and money are invested not only in athletes but also in the mental health problems of young people. "