New Delhi: The year 2021 saw the second wave of COVID-19 Which brought many changes in dynamics in the field of sports, where many players shifted their focus from physical to mental health.
In this digitally intrusive world, where people feel like their every move is constantly scrutinized, some sports stars like Ben Stokes, Naomi Osaka, Simone Biles Created a new benchmark by prioritizing their mental health over the respective sports.
The highlight of the year was certainly when American gymnast Simone Biles, who withdrew from most of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games competition, favored coming home with five gold medals, citing her mental health concerns. Was in The five-time medalist at Rio 2016 (four gold, one bronze) revealed that she didn’t want to put her “health and well-being” at risk.
“Whenever you’re in a high-stress situation, you panic. I have to focus on my mental health and not put my health and well-being at risk,” CNN quoted Biles as saying.
“It just sucks when you’re fighting with your head,” Biles broke down in tears as she explained her decision at a press conference.
Biles’ decision to make her mental health a priority, as she calls gymnasts “the twisties” – sparked a global conversation when the mind and body get out of sync.
Twisties kept Biles out of three rotations of the women’s team finals where America took silver and the all-around, vault, uneven bar and floor exercise individual finals. She returned on the final day in the artistic gymnastics competition, winning the bronze medal on the balance beam.
The American, tied as the most decorated gymnast ever, said her team wanted her to go ahead and compete but didn’t want to risk the medal.
“I was like: I guess the girls need to do the rest of the competition without me. They’re like ‘I promise you’ll be fine, we saw you warm-up.’ But I said ‘No, I know that’ I’m going to be fine, but I can’t afford a medal for the team and I need to call it quits,” Biles said.
The COVID-19 pandemic also introduced bio-bubble life in tournaments, which restricted players from the outside world. Cricketers like Ben Stokes Chris Gayle Bio-Bubble ended up leaving the tournament after being mentally exhausted from life.
England all-rounder Ben Stokes has opted out of team selection from the three-match Test series against India, the Indian Premier League 2021 and the T20 World Cup to prioritize his mental health. Notably, the all-rounder was also battling with his finger injury.
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) supported his decision and said that they would continue to help him during his period away from the game.
“The ECB fully supports Ben’s decision and we will continue to assist him during this period away from the game,” the ECB said in a statement. England Men’s Cricket Managing Director, ashley gilesSaid: “Ben has shown tremendous courage to open up about his feelings and well-being.”
Stokes has now returned from the ongoing Ashes series in Australia.
Meanwhile, West Indies batsman Chris Gayle has decided to withdraw from the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 midway. The 42-year-old left the Punjab Kings (PBKS) team midway due to ‘bubble fatigue’ accumulated over months of playing franchise and international cricket.
“Over the past few months, I have been a part of the CWI bubble, the CPL bubble and then the IPL bubble and I want to recharge and refresh myself mentally,” Gayle said in a statement.
“I want to refocus on helping West Indies in the T20 World Cup and take a break in Dubai. Thank you Punjab Kings for giving me the time. My wishes and hopes are always with the team. All the comings Very good for sports,” he said.
Discussions about mental health took a tricky turn when Japanese tennis star Naomi Osaka pulled out of the 2021 French Open after playing just the opening match. Notably, Osaka withdrew from the Grand Slam, citing her mental health issues, after being fined $15,000 for skipping the press conference following her victory in the first round at Roland Garros.
In a statement released on Twitter, Osaka then said: “Hey everyone, this is not a situation I ever imagined or intended when I posted a few days ago. I think the best thing about the tournament now is Well, the other players and my well-being that I step back so everyone can focus on the tennis going on in Paris.”
She said, “I never wanted to be distracted and I accept that my timing wasn’t ideal and my message could have been clearer. More importantly, I would never downplay mental health or the words I will not use it lightly.”
She later withdrew from Wimbledon 2021 and then returned to the Tokyo Olympics, where she lit the Olympic flame in the opening ceremony.
The major change that the sports world saw this year was that many eminent personalities came forward and praised the steps taken by these players.
Bollywood actors like Priyanka Chopra, Alia Bhatt, Varun Dhawan, and Arjun Kapoor while sports personalities like England batsman Joe Root, former India head coach Ravi ShastriSwimming legend Michael Phelps, former England wicket-keeper batsman Sarah Taylor He was among the few names who supported the players for their decision.
As we move into the new year, we can expect the mental health of athletes in the sports world to return to normal.
In this digitally intrusive world, where people feel like their every move is constantly scrutinized, some sports stars like Ben Stokes, Naomi Osaka, Simone Biles Created a new benchmark by prioritizing their mental health over the respective sports.
The highlight of the year was certainly when American gymnast Simone Biles, who withdrew from most of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games competition, favored coming home with five gold medals, citing her mental health concerns. Was in The five-time medalist at Rio 2016 (four gold, one bronze) revealed that she didn’t want to put her “health and well-being” at risk.
“Whenever you’re in a high-stress situation, you panic. I have to focus on my mental health and not put my health and well-being at risk,” CNN quoted Biles as saying.
“It just sucks when you’re fighting with your head,” Biles broke down in tears as she explained her decision at a press conference.
Biles’ decision to make her mental health a priority, as she calls gymnasts “the twisties” – sparked a global conversation when the mind and body get out of sync.
Twisties kept Biles out of three rotations of the women’s team finals where America took silver and the all-around, vault, uneven bar and floor exercise individual finals. She returned on the final day in the artistic gymnastics competition, winning the bronze medal on the balance beam.
The American, tied as the most decorated gymnast ever, said her team wanted her to go ahead and compete but didn’t want to risk the medal.
“I was like: I guess the girls need to do the rest of the competition without me. They’re like ‘I promise you’ll be fine, we saw you warm-up.’ But I said ‘No, I know that’ I’m going to be fine, but I can’t afford a medal for the team and I need to call it quits,” Biles said.
The COVID-19 pandemic also introduced bio-bubble life in tournaments, which restricted players from the outside world. Cricketers like Ben Stokes Chris Gayle Bio-Bubble ended up leaving the tournament after being mentally exhausted from life.
England all-rounder Ben Stokes has opted out of team selection from the three-match Test series against India, the Indian Premier League 2021 and the T20 World Cup to prioritize his mental health. Notably, the all-rounder was also battling with his finger injury.
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) supported his decision and said that they would continue to help him during his period away from the game.
“The ECB fully supports Ben’s decision and we will continue to assist him during this period away from the game,” the ECB said in a statement. England Men’s Cricket Managing Director, ashley gilesSaid: “Ben has shown tremendous courage to open up about his feelings and well-being.”
Stokes has now returned from the ongoing Ashes series in Australia.
Meanwhile, West Indies batsman Chris Gayle has decided to withdraw from the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 midway. The 42-year-old left the Punjab Kings (PBKS) team midway due to ‘bubble fatigue’ accumulated over months of playing franchise and international cricket.
“Over the past few months, I have been a part of the CWI bubble, the CPL bubble and then the IPL bubble and I want to recharge and refresh myself mentally,” Gayle said in a statement.
“I want to refocus on helping West Indies in the T20 World Cup and take a break in Dubai. Thank you Punjab Kings for giving me the time. My wishes and hopes are always with the team. All the comings Very good for sports,” he said.
Discussions about mental health took a tricky turn when Japanese tennis star Naomi Osaka pulled out of the 2021 French Open after playing just the opening match. Notably, Osaka withdrew from the Grand Slam, citing her mental health issues, after being fined $15,000 for skipping the press conference following her victory in the first round at Roland Garros.
In a statement released on Twitter, Osaka then said: “Hey everyone, this is not a situation I ever imagined or intended when I posted a few days ago. I think the best thing about the tournament now is Well, the other players and my well-being that I step back so everyone can focus on the tennis going on in Paris.”
She said, “I never wanted to be distracted and I accept that my timing wasn’t ideal and my message could have been clearer. More importantly, I would never downplay mental health or the words I will not use it lightly.”
She later withdrew from Wimbledon 2021 and then returned to the Tokyo Olympics, where she lit the Olympic flame in the opening ceremony.
The major change that the sports world saw this year was that many eminent personalities came forward and praised the steps taken by these players.
Bollywood actors like Priyanka Chopra, Alia Bhatt, Varun Dhawan, and Arjun Kapoor while sports personalities like England batsman Joe Root, former India head coach Ravi ShastriSwimming legend Michael Phelps, former England wicket-keeper batsman Sarah Taylor He was among the few names who supported the players for their decision.
As we move into the new year, we can expect the mental health of athletes in the sports world to return to normal.
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