Bryony Page, Simone Biles and Holly Bradshaw have all been open about the mental health issues facing athletes. Bryony Page, Simone Biles and Holly Bradshaw have all been open about the mental health issues facing athletes.hen it comes to sporting success stories anyone would be hard pressed to find elite athletes more impressive than Simone Biles, Bryony Page and Holly Bradshaw.
The upcoming Games will be used to promote wellness and the IOC has launched a mindfulness programme providing 2,000 licences to athletes for the Calm app as a day-to-day attempt to support mental health and wellbeing. A mental fitness helpline will also be available. Moreover, any Olympian competing in Paris, and for four years afterwards, can access mental health, wellbeing, and support in their home country in more than 70 different languages.
This is all part of a plan that looks to promote better mental health outcomes at all levels by 2026 with Paris 2024 acting as a barometer for how the programme develops. Burrows confirms that the IOC is implementing systems to support athletes where the governing body has direct control, such as at the Olympics, and is also helping other organisations outside those events; the national federations and national Olympic committees, to put more of a priority on “psychological safety”.