"Almost one athlete in three presents symptoms of mental illness," Marion Leboyer, psychiatrist and general director of FondaMental —a scientific cooperation foundation— recently claimed: citing mainly anxiety but also problems with depression or eating disorders.

Leboyer's foundation is currently carrying out a study among athletes in France, this year's host country of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, and will soon reveal its results.

Most athletes who talk about their mental health problems often do so after their career has ended. The degree of these varies greatly, from a post-Olympics mood 'slump' to cases of severe depression. The topic, however, is no longer taboo and in recent years it is an issue with a growing presence in the media.

The case of Simone Biles was emblematic. She arrived at the Tokyo Games as a foreseeable big star but the world was able to follow, almost in real time, how she fell apart. Developing the "twisties" —losing her sense of space and dimension while in the air— put her at physical risk and ended up with a much more discreet role than expected in the event.

Since then, Biles has been undergoing therapy and has set out to address the issue of athletes' mental health to help people in a similar case of excess pressure.

Lose weight to climb better 

Recently, the Slovenian climbing star, Janja Garnbret, urged the public to be more sensitive towards the problem of eating disorders in the world of sport, in an effort to raise young people's awareness of the dangers. Wanting to lose weight to climb better and faster is rampant in the sport, and risks athletes falling prey to diseases such as anorexia or bulimia. Under pressure, the International Climbing Federation launched new regulations to control the health of competitors.

Other sports have seen cases worrying enough for  institutions take measures. The French Rugby Federation (FFR) recently announced a plan to prevent and better treat depression, which in several cases in the past has led to addictive practices.

Overall, high-level sport "gives meaning to life" and athletes have "fewer suicidal thoughts," psychiatrist Julien Dubreucq, a member of FondaMental, explains to AFP.

But "it is a population that has anxiety problems, a greater risk of depression and sleep disturbances," he emphasises. Among the high-risk groups, he cites the 'dead angle' of budding athletes aged 12 to 18, some of whom do not achieve their dream in adulthood and have problems managing frustration.

"There is also anguish in case you are going to be selected, if we talk about mental health difficulties," the psychiatrist analysed. "The testimonies of cases of recovery help," although depression continues to be associated to weakness of character.

More psychologists 

After the Biles case in Tokyo, which also took place in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) introduced "welfare officers": psychologists to ensure the well-being of athletes, starting with the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games.

At the Paris 2024 Games, good practices on social networks, where athletes may fall victim to cyberbullying, will also be taken into account.

"Talking to former athletes, I realised that very few had not been depressed during their career and once they retired," former French athlete Marie-José Perec, a three-time Olympic champion, recently told La Tribune du Dimanche.

Her case is also significant about the evolution of mentalities on this issue. After leaving Sydney shortly before competing in the 2000 Olympic Games, her West Indian grandmother advised her to see a psychologist, something she did not want at the time and which she says she regrets.