Tokyo Olympics and the need to invest more in sports psychology

In India, sports psychologists enter the scene at the very last stage

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Karanbir Singh, a sports psychologist, remembers briefly interacting with Neeraj Chopra five years ago. At the Army Sports Institute in Pune around 2016 where Singh met Chopra, the reigning Olympic champion had already set a world junior record in Javelin throw. Singh, a little starstruck, simply wanted to meet the subedar-athlete to get to know him better. "He was very gentle, very humble, very modest and very nice. Few athletes I have met in my life have no ego," says Singh, who has worked with many elite athletes in India, including some who have represented India at the Olympics twice. "I was the one who wanted to meet Chopra. He didn't need any help with his performance," assures Singh, who is currently associated with the High Performance Centre of the JRD Tata Sports Complex.

Singh says the development of high performance centres has picked up in the last three years, but recently he was a little disappointed to see new job advertisements from some of these centres had vacancies for professionals of all kinds—from nutritionists, masseurs, managers to coaches, except psychologists. "Psychology in sports is seen as the last weapon. 'We will manage' is the attitude. It is a quick-fix solution or we enter the scene at the very last stage. Otherwise, motivational speakers or former athletes are roped in to keep athletes motivated," says Singh, who is also a TEDx speaker. "Sports psychologists should be there with training athletes from day 1."

The recently concluded Tokyo Olympics is being seen as a turning point where the world sporting fraternity really acknowledged and openly expressed concerns regarding mental health. American artistic gymnast Simone Biles decided to skip her second possible victory at the Olympics so she could focus more on her mental well-being. Elite sprinter Noah Lyles, who won a bronze in the 200m race, admitted to taking anti-depressants in the summer of 2020. A Russian silver medalist in pole vaulting said she sees a therapist. As if on cue, the world saw the football legend Messi burst into tears in a FC Barcelona press conference.

That winning or losing are emotionally tough experiences isn't much of a revelation. But the coronavirus pandemic has pushed mental health conversations to the forefront in every possible arena, and sports cannot be left behind. Pulling off Tokyo Olympics in the tightest possible bio-bubble is a feat in itself, stretching the emotional resilience of those directly involved beyond conceivable limits.

What is the likelihood of Indian professional athletes working on the psychological pressures of Olympian training? "Indian athletes badly need financial support. They are struggling on multiple levels, including access to the most basic infrastructure. Their grassroot struggle has a two-sided effect. It makes them mentally tough from a very young age; they become highly motivated and resilient. But more often, they are a very stressed lot. 'Life hassles' causes a lot of stress and performances get debilitated," says Singh.

Abhilasha Saharan, a sports psychologist who has worked with the Indian women's hockey team in the past, also echoes similar views. "Most of our athletes are coming from collectivist societies in villages and small towns. They learn adjustments and adaptation from an early age. This helps them develop good resistance to pressures. But at the same time, they don't understand how pressure is affecting both their game and health. That is the reason why easy access to a sports psychologist is required," says Saran, and adds that the ones who can afford it prefer hiring psychologists from outside India. "Mostly they are on their own."