At the Youth Olympics, which is being held in South Korea and involves young athletes, athletes from each country are focusing on efforts to support the athletes' mental health.
Among these, the JOC (Japan Olympic Committee) has asked Associate Professor Kaori Eda of Toyo University, who is qualified as a clinical psychologist and sports mental training instructor, to accompany the athletes as a ``welfare officer'' so that athletes can consult with them. Ta.
Associate Professor Eda accepts consultations not only in person but also on social media, and she has actually received multiple consultations from athletes.
Associate Professor Eda said, ``When you see the difference in their appearance before and after a match, you really get a sense of the magnitude of what the players are carrying.When you're nervous, anxious, confused, or worried, there's always something you've accumulated over the years. That's why I'm approaching the players with the attitude that let's take another look at that."
On the other hand, she says that there are challenges in providing counseling as most of the athletes she only interacts with during the tournament.
Associate Professor Eda said, ``Originally, it is necessary to understand an athlete's mental state in terms of lines rather than dots, so it is difficult to support athletes who do not know how they are doing on a daily basis.''In the future, we will support athletes not only during tournaments, but also over a longer period of time. It will be necessary to interact with the players."
Masahiko Harada, a gold medalist at the Nagano Olympics and leader of the Japanese team, said, ``The existence of welfare officers is highly valued by the athletes.Welfare officers are highly valued by athletes. I wish I could support them," he said.
Athlete mental health: growing interest
Athletes' mental health has become an issue of international concern, as American gymnast Simone Biles, who was a gold medal candidate at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, withdrew from the individual all-around final after complaining of mental health issues. It has increased.
For this reason, since the Beijing Olympics a year ago, the IOC (International Olympic Committee) has required each country's athletes to have experts to provide mental health support, and has released educational materials to encourage athletes to support their mental health. , we have expanded our support.
Mental support for athletes is becoming more and more popular in each country, and at the Asian Games held in China last year, the Japanese athletes took part in their own initiative by setting up a relaxing space in the image of a manga cafe in the athletes' village. We have been experimenting with support measures in anticipation of the Paris Olympics.
In preparation for this summer's Paris Games, there will be an opportunity for mental health experts from each country to participate online on February 9th to exchange issues and opinions.