Recently, former French footballer Thierry Henry, world champion in 1998, spoke on the pages of the newspaper L’Équipe about how the problem was perceived in his time as a player: «Crying is impossible.

You can’t show your weakness. He told me, ‘Thierry don’t cry, don’t cry, don’t cry’. I happened to cry alone, but I struggled not to drown. Now I’m crying,” said Henry, who after his retirement continued to be associated with football as a coach and television commentator.

For Greg Décamps, a sports psychology researcher at the University of Bordeaux, the difficulty of speaking on the subject is explained by the fact that “the sports environment continues to be a place where excellence, strength, masculinity, and where any sign of weakness will be utterly prohibited.”

Moreover, in a discipline like football, “with huge financial implications”, except for the “physical injuries” which cannot be hidden, the rest is almost a “secret defence”, he told AFP.

– Stress point –

Despite these barriers, consideration of the psychological dimension is progressing step by step.

In 2021, apart from the Simone Biles case, tennis player Naomi Osaka at Roland Garros was affected.

The Japanese player explained that he had “a long period of depression” and episodes of “social anxiety”. He exited the France tournament under pressure, choosing not to have any media exposure at the time.

In the United States, the women’s soccer championship (NWSL) included “six months of mental health leave” in a collective agreement last February.

“Girls who tore their anterior ligament continue to receive their salary even if they are away from the field for months. Why treat mental suffering any differently?” asked Cari Roccaro, a player who went through “a really bad time” and who is urging to acknowledge this type of victim.

Behind the wins there is usually a big sacrifice in the sport and this affects everyone to a greater or lesser degree.

“High-level athletes are much more exposed to very extreme sources of stress,” explains Greg Décamps.

A high-competition environment can be “vulnerable” to these athletes, although it can also teach them to “develop the capacity to adapt to a stressful environment,” he analyzes.

Another destabilizing aspect for many people in recent years is social networks.

For Karin Moesch, a sports psychologist in Sweden, it can be an element of “stress”. Formula 1 driver Lando Norris recently spoke about the effect various hate messages have on him and his family.

“Like an ankle injury”

Former French footballer Vincent Gouttebarge heads the mental health working group at the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and is head of the medical services of FIFPro (professional footballers’ union). An expert in both fields, he advocates dealing with psychological difficulties “such as ankle injuries.”

“Everyone has to believe that an ankle injury equals a mental injury, it’s not the end of the world,” he explained.

According to him, statements by athletes who openly shared their problems “played a role in breaking the existing taboo on the subject.”

“According to the scientific data we have collected, between 20 and 35% of high-level athletes have negative feelings or thoughts related to depression or anxiety, or problems with harmful eating behaviors, or even sleeping,” he explains.

“Taboos are not sport-specific. Mental health is also a cultural issue. There are countries where things are moving a lot more than in any other country. Britain, the United States, Canada or Australia are at the top of the list,” he added.

Through: metrolibre.com