The pandemic has left sportspersons and the industry at its lowest; batsmen missing from their crease, athletes away from their tracks, balls not being served, dribbled or kicked. It’s no doubt that the thrill of sport has come back to life this year. Back to back events in all sports A to Z; the audience roars like never before. But was it all too much for the athletes?

Tennis’ post-pandemic comeback scheduled all four grand-slams, the Australian, French, Wimbledon and the American, along with the Olympics in one playing season. To tennis enthusiasts and viewers this year was the most exciting it could get, but for the players and teams it clearly meant intense training and competition. At the time of the Roland Garros French Open earlier this year, Naomi Osaka had skipped a press conference after her first-round victory due to mental pressures, later revealed. She had been fined $15,000 as a result and was threatened by all four Grand Slam tournaments with the possibility of disqualification or suspension. All this harsh scrutiny after missing only one conference in her seven years of tour! Osaka knew she no longer could keep quiet about this; she went on to withdraw herself from the French Open and skipped the Wimbledon in an act of mental preservation and self-protection. She explained this action by writing an essay titled “It’s OK to not be OK” for the Olympics edition of the TIME magazine that read,  “I do hope that people can relate and understand it’s O.K. to not be O.K., and it’s O.K. to talk about it. There are people who can help, and there is usually light at the end of any tunnel. More than anything, I’d hope people can feel the power of empathy and to feel encouraged to take chances in life, perhaps especially in moments where the stakes can feel impossibly high.” After taking her time to rest, she felt fully recharged to participate in the Olympic Games in her home country, which was one of her dreams come true.

Following up to the Olympics, Simone Biles voiced a big NO for the sake of her mental health, withdrawing from her gymnastic final event. She shortly tweeted “Mental health comes first, above any medal” which followed a mass chain of reposts of her announcement. Google searches related to mental health on the day Biles pulled out hit their highest peak in two months. Even before she made her decision, psychologist and director of mental health services for the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee Jessica Bartley said that she knew the Olympics had taken a toll on the mental health of her gymnasts and that’s why Biles’ decision made her proud because “she is standing up for herself but also making things better for others and bringing a lot to the forefront of these conversations.” Biles left Japan with her head held high and a silver and bronze medal around her neck saying, “I wouldn’t change anything for the world. I gave an outlet for athletes to speak up about their mental health and their well-being and learn that you can put yourself (as a person) first before the athlete.”

The same follows for the world of men’s cricket- back to back tournaments, new continents every week, PCR after PCR was no easy feat for batsmen. The talismanic England all-rounder Ben Stokes took an indefinite break from all forms of cricket “to prioritise his mental wellbeing” as announced by the England and Wales Cricket Board on 30 July. The news underlines the reasons behind England’s revised rest and rotation policy that has left players out of several squads in order to give them periods of time to rest and cope with their loved ones. Comments from the England cricket team were in full support of the decision. Ashley Giles, the Managing Director of England Men’s Cricket, said the all-rounder “has shown tremendous courage to open up about his feelings and wellbeing.” “The demands on our athletes to prepare and play elite sport are relentless in a typical environment, but the ongoing pandemic has acutely compounded this. Spending significant amounts of time away from family, with minimal freedoms, is extremely challenging. Our primary focus has always been and will continue to be the mental health and welfare of all of our players.” said Giles. Indian Captain Virat Kohli has commented in support that players should speak up for their mental health and follow the example of Ben Stokes to maintain their quality of cricket. 

Sri Lanka’s cricket icon Kumar Sangakkara says, “We’ve had a host of elite athletes who’ve spoken about mental wellbeing and the effects of Covid and the pressure around it, and of course pressure in the limelight, that have led to them making some very tough decisions.” Hopefully, it won’t be the end of those tough, but necessary decisions. The world is changing and people anticipate change from sports associations as well, prioritizing the mental health of players and creating policies to ease their pressure. The importance of mental care is as important to us as it is for these athletes. Help spread awareness and don’t be afraid to voice your concerns. If these sports stars can, so can you.