French athletes at Paris Olympics will receive better mental health protection

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French Sports Minister Amelie Oudea-Castera attends the inauguration of the Roucas Blanc Marina constructed for the upcoming summer Olympic Games in Marseille, southern France, Tuesday, April 2, 2024. Marseille will host the Olympic sailing events during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games that run from July 26 to Aug.11, 2024. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole)

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The countdown clock reading 100 days before the Paris 2024 Olympic Games opening ceremony is seen Wednesday, April 17, 2024 in Paris. The Paris 2024 Olympic Games will run from July 26 to Aug. 11. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

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From left, French athletes Arnaud Assoumani, Pauline Deroulede, Romain Cannone, and Melina Robert-Michon stand on stage as they wear the French team uniforms for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games opening ceremony, Wednesday, April 17, 2024 at the Grand Palais Ephemere venue in Paris. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

By JEROME PUGMIRE

PARIS (AP) — French athletes at the Paris Olympics will be offered better protection for their mental health, with priority given to curbing online harassment and cyberbullying.

France’s Sports Minister Amélie Oudéa-Castéra and Secretary of State for Digital Affairs Marina Ferrari have been discussing ways to ensure mental health is looked after at the July 26-Aug. 11 Paris Games and Aug 28-Sept. 8 Paralympics.

Oudéa-Castéra pointed out the continued threat of cyberbullying to mental health in society in general, a risk she says is magnified when high-profile athletes are continually in the spotlight.

“Athletes as well as many of our citizens are exposed to these risks,” she said. “We are implementing the tools to help our athletes, but also our young and all French people.”

A study carried out by France’s National Institute of Sport, Expertise, and Performance (INSEP) showed that 15% of athletes have shown signs of high anxiety or depression, with the first signs of psychological difficulties beginning on average at the age of 17.

The risk factors themselves are already well-known. They include being away from family for sustained periods of time, pressure from fans, expectations from sponsors, reactions from angry gamblers losing bets, fear of failure and constant pressure to get results. These factors are magnified by constant exposure on social networks.

A worker carries a suitcase in the "baggage factory", where athletes' luggages for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games will be collected, are seen in Charles de Gaulle airport, in Roissy-en-France, north of Paris, Tuesday, April 23, 2024 in Paris. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

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FILE - Competitors swim in the Seine River during the Paris Triathlon competition in Paris Sunday, July 10, 2011. Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo saidTuesday April 23, 2024 she was confident water quality will be up to the Olympics standards this summer _ and that she'll be able to prove it by swimming there, possibly alongside President Emmanuel Macron. (AP Photo/Lionel Cironneau, File )

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FILE - United States' Allisha Gray (15) heads to the basket past Evgeniia Frolkina (16), of the Russian Olympic Committee, during a women's 3-on-3 gold medal basketball game at the 2020 Summer Olympics, July 28, 2021, in Tokyo, Japan. Gray is glad to be back playing 3x3 with an eye toward being a member of the team at the Paris Olympics this summer. She is the only player returning from the foursome that took home the gold at the Tokyo Games three years ago. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson, File)

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So plans are in place to better protect mental health going forward.

Starting from June, the website France.sport dedicated to top-level athletes will have a “Santé Mentale” (Mental Health) section, which athletes can click onto. It features a guide with practical advice and a self-evaluation questionnaire. The athlete also has access to a psychologist recommended by INSEP. The same services will continue after the Games, and are also available for coaching staff.

INSEP will also work with other French sports organizations on a presentation to raise awareness on risks linked to mental health among athletes.

France’s sports minister is working with other ministries on ways to develop and support the profession of Mental Coach — someone who works closely with athletes to help with their mental preparation in order to improve their performance.

At the Olympic Village in the suburb of Saint-Denis, a safeguarding officer from the French Olympic and Paralympic delegation and three welfare officers (who are trained psychologists) will be onsite during the Games. They will offer assistance to athletes and staff members who are experiencing mental health difficulties and, if needed, they can be mobilized to support athletes who are staying outside of the main Village.

The safeguarding officer on site is also dovetailing as a designated person of trust who alerts social network platforms in case of serious problems happening online.

An online application called Bodyguard is already being used by the French Tennis Federation and the French soccer league to give athletes better online protection, including content arriving in their private messages if they so wish.

“The psychological stability of athletes deserves all of our attention. More than ever, they should feel safe and should be supported when they go through moments of difficulty or doubt or have a need to express themselves,” Ferrari said. “The context of (athletes’) lives exposes them to increased risks. They should be cared for with regards to these risks.”

Further discussions are scheduled to be held in the coming weeks with the main social network platforms.

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AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games