THE Australian Olympic Committee is set to send more psychologists to the Rio Olympics to meet athletes’ increasing demand for mental support.
It comes after sporting stars, including champion swimmers Leisel Jones and Ian Thorpe, spoke out about the mental anguish they endured in pursuit of winning a gold medal.
Ruth Anderson was head psychologist for Australia’s Olympic team in Beijing and London, and last year experienced a huge demand for her services. Anderson said yesterday the nation’s sporting bodies must provide more mental health support to their athletes because if they did not, it would “limit” the Olympians’ performance at Rio.
“Everyone acknowledges and supports the need in principle that athletes need psychological support, and that psychological well-being is of great importance, not only to the individual’s life but to their direct performance.
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Category(s):Sports Psychology
Source material from Herald Sun
