Research published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine indicates that 34% of elite athletes experience significant mental health challenges. These struggles can take many forms, including chronic stress, eating disorders, severe burnout, and debilitating symptoms of depression and anxiety.
Over the past few years, high profile athletes have opened up about their struggles with mental health. Notable among these are Naomi Osaka, Simone Biles, Michael Phelps, Ilia Malinin, Hayden Hurst, just to mention but a few. The list cuts across different sporting codes and ethnicities.
Another study by Simon M Rice and others, states that ‘elite athletes experience a unique range of stressors that may potentially increase their vulnerability to mental ill-health.’ Their findings suggested that ‘elite athletes experience a broadly comparable risk of high-prevalence mental disorders (i.e. anxiety, depression) relative to the general population.’
While research and studies show athletes are susceptible to mental health struggles, in Botswana, very little or nothing seems to be done to address this challenge. With this in view, Sunday Standard Sports reached out to several national sporting codes to see how much they are helping athletes cope.
Unfortunately, almost all national sporting codes approached did not want to wade into the subject. The only sporting code which responded, Botswana Boxing Association (BoBA), indicated it was trying to address the matter, though it does not have enough capacity to fully address the challenge.
Public Relations Officer (PRO) Kabelo Seleka disclosed that, at this point in time, the association lacks a dedicated full-time sports psychologist who is formally attached to their various training and development programs.
He however says BoBA has a Medical and Anti-Doping Commission embedded within its organizational framework. This commission addresses broader issues related to athlete welfare. It is responsible not only for ensuring compliance with anti-doping regulations, but also for promoting mental health awareness and facilitating necessary referrals to support services for athletes in need.
‘We recognize the need to strengthen this area further. BoBA is actively exploring partnerships with qualified psychologists and mental health professionals to provide more structured access to psychological support for our athletes. We acknowledge that mental health is a critical pillar of athlete performance, wellbeing, and long-term career sustainability.’
‘Boxing is an intense, high-pressure sport that exposes athletes to physical strain, performance anxiety, weight management stress, injuries, and uncertainty around careers and livelihoods. As such, we view mental wellness not as a luxury, but as a performance necessity,’ the BoBA PRO says.
Seleka further elaborated that mental health discussions are currently integrated into selected BoBA training camps. During these periods, the association brings in specialists and experts to speak to athletes. These discussions focus on coping with pressure, confidence building, resilience, injury recovery, discipline, and life beyond boxing.
BoBA’s interventions do not end there. The association is also working behind the scenes on broader awareness initiatives. Following the success of their Drugs and Alcohol Abuse Awareness Tournament, they are now planning a Mental Health Awareness Tournament. They seek to use boxing as a platform to spark national conversations around mental wellness, especially among young people and athletes.
‘Mental wellness is now being embedded into our strategic development agenda, and we are committed to building a more comprehensive, structured athlete welfare framework that places mental health at the center of performance and personal development,’ the BoBA PRO says.
Commenting on the issue, sports psychologist Kagiso Tlhabano- David says ‘athletes around the world-regionally and locally-like the general population, strive daily to manage general stressors, along with the added demands that come with being an athlete.’ ‘They are people first, then they are athletes. But the society sees them as just athletes, as performers.’
‘I cannot speak to athletes’ mental state because that cannot be assumed. Yet, as someone who pays attention to sport, with even more attention on issues related to athletes wellbeing, it is clear that the demands of sport and life and the constant need and expectation to be at their optimum can take a toll on even the ‘strongest’ of individuals.’
‘An individual athlete’s mental health can vary depending on such factors as time of the season (off season, early, mid and towards the end depending of the season), performance (current or previous), injury and nature thereof, personal issues and so forth. There are many factors at play, perhaps more on the athletes’ plate than ours. Perhaps considering all the above we can have a sense that athletes too are at risk to of having mental health challenges or setbacks,’ Tlhabano-David says.
ýShe points out that athletes are trained to be tough, to withstand the pressure, and to bounce back. With this being the case, Tlhabano- David noted that they too can view themselves as such with no room for not being ok.
‘They can acknowledge not being physical fit following injury or off season. But what is usually missing is the education about mental health, and that it is ok to acknowledge to oneself and their support system when they are not emotionally or mentally at their optimum.’
‘When such education is there and athletes see themselves as not just athletes but as people first, it would help them open up for help. If we also see them not just as athletes, but as people first, people who feel and go through challenges like all of us, it would ease the pressure off them and more and more athletes may not feel the need to pretend to be ok.’
‘It is encouraging that more and many top athletes on the international stage are opening up about their mental health challenges. Hopefully this will ultimately normalize talking about mental wellbeing and mental health challenges. That said, there are other reasons such as not having access to support services, and the cost of professional services.’
When it comes to performance pressure affecting athlete’s mental wellbeing, Tlhabano- David points out that managing pressure is a mental skill that top performers have mastered. Besides ability and physical fitness, they bring managing pressure and thriving under it to their game on the day.
‘Performance pressure does not necessarily lead to mental health issues. But mental health challenges can make managing pressure quite difficult even for those who have mastered the skill,’ she says. ý