KarunaNews Story

When the world’s spotlight was shining the brightest on Simone Biles during the 2024 Olympics, she took to her Instagram to say: “Mental health matters.” The International Olympic Committee released its first Mental Health Action Plan in July 2023 and the Paris Olympics is implementing some of these ideas. There are more mental health professionals this year than any previous Olympics, there are dedicated credentials for athlete welfare officers, more athletes are using the services of a sports psychologist and/or therapist, and the USOPC has more than doubled its mental health providers since Tokyo. The IOC has built a “Mind Zone” in the Olympic Village, and a new AI-powered service is monitoring athletes’ social media accounts for cyberbullying and digital abuse.