Data is starting to emerge, showing how this global situation has affected societies in general and athletes in particular. For centuries, sports competition has been a cornerstone for our organized societies. Athletes were being looked upon as role models for strength, stability and preparedness for battle and action. This 2020 “year” we are having up until now, threatens to destroy a great deal of everything.
The IOC conducted a survey in May 2020, with 4,089 participants from 135 countries. 80% of respondents were Athletes, 13% Entourage, and 7%Stakeholders. The purpose of the survey was to see what kind of impact does the response to the pandemic have on athletes and the athletic community in general. The results were discouraging, although understood because actually they are what one could guess they would be.
What can be regarded as normal in this mess we are into?
So, the results come in like this:
56% of Athletes were finding it hard to train effectively.
With training facilities closed down, there is virtually no way one can keep on the level of training needed. Whatever one does at home, the effectiveness is not the same as going to a fully equipped gym with professional coaches. And the results of this will be injuries as some sports start competition. And we see it happening.
50% were struggling to keep motivated.
Be motivated for what, when one does not know when and if their competitions will resume.
The issue I faced upon retirement at the beggining was that I didn’t want to go to the gym to workout, because why do it, I wasn’t going to compete anymore…
It is a mindset of an athlete. You do it in order to be ready. If what you are doing it for gets postponed, it is challenging for you to keep up with it in terms of motivation. An athlete is used to having a timeframe for the goal.
Managing mental health and managing sporting careers (both 32%) were the next two biggest challenges.
What are you when the rug you know to be on and it is comfortable, gets pulled right under your feet?
A 27% is concerned about funding their sports careers.
What is going to happen to tournaments, sponsors, fan attendance and will athletes suffer a budget hit? These are questions that are waiting to be answered in the long run now that competitions are on track to resuming?
Youth athletes are taking a hard hit too. They are in their prime training years, and now THIS?
Youth athletes were more likely to struggle with managing their nutrition and diet (37%)
Coaches and other sports professionals(Entourage) faced challenges too.
The biggest challenge faced by Entourage was keeping their athletes motivated (63%).
The next two biggest challenges were planning training for their athletes (56%) and supporting their athletes’ mental health (40%).
It is important to say that those numbers came for their athletes and only a 13% was concerned about their OWN mental health. That is commitment right there.
The dramatic percentage for both athletes and coaches is the 2% that responded that they do not face ANY challenges!
These numbers tell a story. A story of despair and agony for the unknown, uncharted waters the global sports community is in right now. And for how long?
Let us just hope that all this situation will not lead to more mental health issues, that there will be no victims from all of this.
And that the whole of society will come out strong.
You can read the whole report HERE
