Abstract
Objectives: We aimed to: (1) examine the impact of postponing the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games on the mental health of athletes and coaches; and (2) explore strategies that athletes and coaches utilised to manage the stressors associated with postponement of Tokyo 2020.
Design: The study was grounded in ontological relativism and epistemological constructivism, addressing the exploratory nature of this study by allowing a comprehensive understanding of how COVID-19 impacted upon Olympic and Paralympic athletes and coaches.
Methods: Participants (n = 10) were athletes and coaches who intended to compete at Tokyo 2020. Participants engaged in semi-structured interviews (M = 60.04 minutes) exploring their experiences in relation to the aims of the study. The research team engaged in reflexive thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2019) to comprehend the data and co-construct themes.
Results: There was a reported lack of well-being provision for coaches, who supported athletes at the expense of their own well-being. Athletes and coaches reported anxiety, sadness, stress, and a lack of awareness of mental illness symptomology or declines in well-being. The postponement of the Games engendered negative thoughts and feelings due to its potential effects on retirement, compounding the impact of pandemic- and retirement-related stress. Participants reported acquiring novel skills to improve their well-being, such recognising and talking about their struggles.
Conclusions: Participants required extended and targeted well-being support throughout and following their pandemic and Olympic experiences. Implications for support delivery and changes to NGB psychology provision are discussed.
Design: The study was grounded in ontological relativism and epistemological constructivism, addressing the exploratory nature of this study by allowing a comprehensive understanding of how COVID-19 impacted upon Olympic and Paralympic athletes and coaches.
Methods: Participants (n = 10) were athletes and coaches who intended to compete at Tokyo 2020. Participants engaged in semi-structured interviews (M = 60.04 minutes) exploring their experiences in relation to the aims of the study. The research team engaged in reflexive thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2019) to comprehend the data and co-construct themes.
Results: There was a reported lack of well-being provision for coaches, who supported athletes at the expense of their own well-being. Athletes and coaches reported anxiety, sadness, stress, and a lack of awareness of mental illness symptomology or declines in well-being. The postponement of the Games engendered negative thoughts and feelings due to its potential effects on retirement, compounding the impact of pandemic- and retirement-related stress. Participants reported acquiring novel skills to improve their well-being, such recognising and talking about their struggles.
Conclusions: Participants required extended and targeted well-being support throughout and following their pandemic and Olympic experiences. Implications for support delivery and changes to NGB psychology provision are discussed.
| Original language | English |
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| Publication status | Published - 1 Nov 2021 |
| Event | British Psychological Society: Division of Sport & Exercise Psychology Annual Conference - Liverpool Duration: 1 Nov 2021 → … |
Conference
| Conference | British Psychological Society: Division of Sport & Exercise Psychology Annual Conference |
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| Period | 1/11/21 → … |
